Courtney Johnston took up the role of Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive at Te Papa Museum in 2019. Raised on a dairy farm in Taranaki, Courtney has lived and worked in Wellington since 2000. She holds a Masters in Art History from Victoria University of Wellington, and was the 2015 recipient of a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Scholarship to research contemporary museum practice in the United States.

She went on to roles at City Gallery Wellington, National Library of New Zealand, and as general manager at web agency Boost New Media. Courtney is a trustee of Arts Wellington, the Wellington Performing Arts Trust and The Pantograph Punch. She was the visual arts commentator for RNZ’s Nine to Noon programme from 2010 to 2019.

She is a past chair of Museums Aotearoa and has also held a range of governance and advisory roles with the National Digital Forum, Tohatoha (Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand), Inland Revenue, and MBIE.