Out of the closet and into the museum: The costumes of Mika Haka

Abstract

The Auckland Museum recently acquired a significant collection of costume and related material from New Zealand entertainer and community leader Mika Haka. Mika has collected material for over thirty years and it was always his intention that his material would become part of a museum collection. Mika’s motivations to offer material to the Auckland Museum included the positive experiences he had with the Museum and that these objects would speak for takatāpui / LGBT+ communities who are underrepresented in museum collections. The process of selecting material for the museum was a challenge due to the size and variety of the collection. The costumes that represent Mika’s life and are now preserved in the Auckland Museum have wide ranging research and display potential and