Whakamana Cannabis Museum is New Zealand's first and only cannabis museum. We exist to tell the honest story of this plant in Aotearoa: where it came from, what it does, who it has helped and who it has harmed, and how the law has changed around it. We are education-led, community-focused, and open to anyone who is curious.
How we started
Whakamana opened in Dunedin in October 2013. Founder Abe Gray, a botanist by training and a cannabis law reform advocate for more than two decades, set it up as a place where people could learn about cannabis without the stigma and without the sales pitch. In its first decade the museum moved from a suburban house to the middle of downtown Dunedin, added a café, hosted hundreds of community events, and became a fixture of the city.
In 2019 the museum relocated to Christchurch, taking over the historic Shand's Emporium building in the lead-up to the 2020 cannabis referendum. That vote fell narrowly short, but the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme that launched the same year changed everything for patients, and it changed what the museum needed to be.
Where we are now
In 2024 Whakamana reopened in Auckland, in a stunning heritage building at 19 Beresford Square, just off Karangahape Road and right next door to the Beresford Square entrance of Karanga-a-Hape Station on the City Rail Link. We share the space with Calyx Clinic, a specialist medicinal cannabis prescribing service, and Calyx Club, a community for medicinal cannabis patients. Together it is the first facility of its kind in Australasia: a place where you can learn about cannabis, talk to a prescriber, meet other patients, and see the gear that helps you use your medication well, all under one roof.
Our exhibitions cover cannabis through the ages, the science of cannabinoids and terpenes, and New Zealand's own cannabis culture, from prohibition to today.
What we believe
We think adults deserve accurate information about cannabis, and that patients deserve dignity, good products and a community. We do not sell cannabis and never have. We operate within New Zealand law. We are here to destigmatise, to educate, and to give people a place to belong.
The shop
Our shop is small and deliberately curated. We stock a handful of dry herb vaporisers, glass and accessories that we have used ourselves and would recommend to a friend, plus museum merchandise. Every purchase helps keep the doors open. Browse the range or come and see it in person.
Come and see us
We are open Wednesday to Sunday, and the train now stops at our door. Find hours, directions and what to expect on our Visit page, or get in touch about group bookings, media and events.