The Reserve Bank Museum
The Reserve Bank Museum provides a fascinating glimpse into New Zealand’s economic and banking heritage. It celebrates and tells the origins and role of the Reserve Bank as the country’s central bank. Opened in September 2006, it is the only specialist economic and central banking museum in New Zealand.
An extensive range of interactive exhibits showing the history of our trade and banking system as well as a selection of rare notes and coins from the Bank’s numismatic collection are on display at the Museum. One of the most popular exhibits is the MONIAC hydraulic computer. MONIAC demonstrations are held on the first Wednesday of the month between 12.15 and 12.45pm.
Learn more about the Reserve Bank Museum. You can also know more about some of the Museum’s highlights and exhibitions.
Admission and Opening Hours
Visits and tours to the Museum are currently only available for student groups with confirmed bookings.
School visits may be scheduled anytime between 9.30am – 4.00pm, Monday to Friday. We are closed on weekends, public holidays, and during Bank events.
Bookings are necessary and entry is free.
The Museum can accommodate school groups of up to 30 people. To ensure your visit runs smoothly, we ask that you book at least two weeks in advance.
To make a booking, send an email to museum@rbnz.govt.nz, with the following details:
- Name of School
- Contact Person / Teacher-in-Charge
- Mobile Number
- Email Address
- Preferred Date and Time of Visit
- Number of Participants
- Student Year / Level
School Visits
The Museum provides free educational programme for secondary school students, from Year 9 to Year 13.
If your class is studying economics or has a keen interest in a general introduction to money and economic literacy, you are most welcome to visit the Museum.
Aside from a tour of the Museum, we also give presentations to student groups, which last for about 45 to 60 minutes.
The presentation is given by members of our Economics team who will cover topics such as:
- The functions of the Reserve Bank
- The history of money
- Issuing currency
- Maintaining financial stability
- Inflation targeting (including what is inflation, costs of inflation, OCR decision making
- Keeping employment near its maximum sustainable level
- Working at the Reserve Bank (for senior students)
We can also add other relevant topics that you may suggest.
We like to make the sessions interesting and informative, with interaction between presenters and students. So we expect the students to answer our questions and ask questions of us.
Enquiries about school visits to the Museum can be made through emailing museum@rbnz.govt.nz.
Location
The Reserve Bank Museum is located at 2 The Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand. The Museum is just inside the main foyer. Entrance to the building has wheelchair access.
There is metered street parking and a number of car parking buildings nearby. The council-owned Clifton Terrace car park is manned all day and the Tournament car park off Bowen Street has a ticket machine.
Contact Us
You may reach us through these contact details.
Email: museum@rbnz.govt.nz
Phone: +64 4 471 3682
