Telecoms Gets a Refresh – Inside and Out

The Telecoms exhibit has recently had a small but meaningful refresh, giving the space a lift while preserving the charm and atmosphere that make it popular with visitors. 

In April 2024, the Telecoms Team proposed an update to part of the display area, and although a potential relocation may be on the horizon, this interim refurbishment was a cost-effective way to improve the experience for visitors and support the dedicated Telecoms volunteers in the meantime.

Working in phases, the team began with repainting - freshening up skirtings, plinths, and display cabinets. New exterior signage and internal repairs also helped restore the space’s clean, welcoming look without losing its nostalgic atmosphere.

Phase two brought excitement by way of the installation of a second red telephone box outside Whakawhiti Pārongo – Telecoms. Young visitors can now pick up the handset and call each other from one booth to the other, getting a hands-on sense of how people used to communicate before mobile phones. The idea came directly from the Telecoms volunteers, solving the challenge of inactive landlines in the original box and adding an interactive experience.

Installed at the start of Auckland Pride Month, the telephone boxes also feature a temporary window graphic exploring the timeline of LGBTQIA+ communities and their use of telecommunications to establish helplines and safe spaces. This collaboration between Exhibitions, the Telecoms team, Public Programmes, and the Rainbow Committee is one of several initiatives across MOTAT that shine a rainbow lens on the Collection and its stories.