Air Force Museum of New Zealand

The former Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, was located at the first operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Wigram. It opened on April 1, 1987, as part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, primarily as a museum for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, its predecessor, the Permanent Air Force of New Zealand, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force squadrons of the Royal Air Force. The mission of the New Zealand Air Force Museum is to preserve and display the history of military aviation in New Zealand for remembrance, learning, inspiration, and enjoyment.

The museum houses the national collection of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. These collections cover the early days of military aviation in New Zealand before and during the major conflict of World War I, the period between the two world wars from the establishment of the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1937, New Zealanders serving with the Royal Air Force and other Allied air forces in Britain during World War II, the campaigns of the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Pacific, and the post-war era to the present day. The collection also includes former enemy aircraft, aircraft, aircraft components, aircraft engines, large items, textiles, artworks, and memorabilia, as well as extensive paper and photographic archives.