The spray painted treaty from December 2023. Photo: Mark Amery
Newly released documents reveal Te Papa received threatening phone calls following a protest at the museum in December.
Twelve people were arrested for spray painting a display panel showing the English version of the Treaty of Waitangi.
An email seen by RNZ following an Official Information Act request showed a man called the museum two weeks later threatening to damage Māori artifacts if the exhibit was not cleaned up.
He told the calltaker he was not playing games.
Later emails show the police traced the call to Christchurch and the man admitted making the threats.
He was given a warning and told not to contact the museum again.
In January another member of the public threw their shoe at the damaged exhibit, leaving a mark.
Te Papa said the protest was a critical moment in the evolution of the museum.
The OIA revealed the protest was a unique opportunity to build knowledge which could be lost if the museum acted passively.
Te Papa's head of marketing and communications Kate Camp listed her vision for the new exhibition including an open space that's inclusive, bold and honourable.
She said this included education for general kaimahi and hosts on Te Tiriti, wānanga and having online staff forums to share different views.
The OIA also revealed one staffer had to take a day off work because she was so badly affected by paint fumes from the protest.
She was in one of the museum's reading rooms when the protest happened.
The room was heavy with fumes but the staffer could not leave because she was with a member of the public.
She exited once that person had left and after she had secured the material they were looking at.
The fumes triggered her allergies severely and she needed the next day off to recover.
