Parliament Grounds

The key characteristics of this area’s setting are the relatively low scale of the buildings (distinctive in an area which is rapidly becoming dominated by high-rise construction) and the spaciousness associated with the extensive landscaping, plantings and green areas around the major buildings. The streets around the area create a definitive, physical border and help separate the formality of the older state buildings from nearby buildings. Any large buildings are located on the other sides of streets (such as Bowen Street) or sufficiently far away not to crowd the major buildings of the heritage area. 

This area has several significant wider settings. To the east and south the flat of the reclaimed land stretches away from Government Buildings towards the harbour, the Supreme Court and the larger buildings of the CBD. To the north and north-east is the Government Centre, dominated by such prominent buildings such as Kate Sheppard Apartments, Vogel House, the National Library and St Paul’s Cathedral. To the west is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Bolton Street Cemetery, the motorway, residential Thorndon and Tinakori Hill, which has been a conspicuous backdrop to this area since the town was established. 

Not available

The extent of the heritage area is shown in the District Plan, Chapter 21, Appendix 15.

The heritage area encompasses the Parliamentary buildings and grounds, including the key heritage buildings – Parliament House, the Parliamentary Library and the Executive Wing or Beehive, along with the numerous features, including statuary, that are contained within the grounds, and the extensive landscaping, which was begun after fire destroyed most of the Parliament Buildings in 1907 and was finished in 1912. It also includes the nearby Cenotaph and Waititi Park, and extends across Lambton Quay to include the Government Buildings and land and features associated with that complex. 

The area is bordered by Hill, Molesworth and Bunny Streets, Bowen and Whitmore Streets and Stout Street and terminates at the western edge of the park space formerly occupied by Broadcasting House.

At the rear of the Parliamentary buildings, the boundary line is drawn along the common property line to the adjoining state service buildings and incorporates the entirety of Museum Street and the sculpture park on the site of the former Broadcasting House.  This will enable any future development of the present car-park to be managed in a way that does not adversely affect the heritage values of the area.

Parliamentary Library

The Parliamentary Library is the most important building designed by the prolific local architect Thomas Turnbull. The Gothic Revival design is a response to the preceding Parliament buildings lost to the 1907 fire. The Library is elevated with respect to Parliament House and physically separated from it by a walkway.

Completed in 1901, the Parliamentary Library is a substantial two-storey masonry building constructed using Mount Cook gaol bricks (with the distinctive arrow mark) and finished in plaster render over wire lathing. It is designed in a distinctive late-Victorian Gothic Revival style with a strong Venetian influence apparent in the detailing and is infused with the characteristic and picturesque irregularity of profile of the style. While the finished building is a full storey short of Turnbull’s original design, and has a weaker vertical emphasis than intended due to this lesser height, it is nevertheless a very carefully composed and strong piece of architecture and is commonly regarded as Turnbull’s finest work, although the architect himself repudiated any association with the building.

As it stands today, the building is two storeys high, with an L-shaped front elevation and two distinct roofs, both hipped but set behind heavily detailed and prominent gables. There is a distinct vertical emphasis in the heights of the windows and in the arches over the entrance portico that signals a taller building - as a consequence the building seems a little squat. The high gables on the north (front) and west (Hill Street) elevations indicate something of the intended vertical emphasis. The elevations are replete with typical Victorian Gothic motifs including pointed arches, crocketed gables, steeply-pitched corrugated-iron roofs trimmed with ornamental ironwork at the ridges and a battery of chimneys, and rose windows in the gables. The roof edges are trimmed with a prominent arcaded balustrade, spanning between elaborate moulded pinnacles at each corner of the main façades and at each side of the gables. The east and south façades have extensively moulded external plasterwork with raised, indented or tooled patterns (pargetting) and are set off with strong cornice lines – an acanthus frieze below the roof-top balustrade and an egg and dart pattern at the top of the ground floor – which provide a horizontal contrast to the predominant verticality of the design. The ground floor windows are square-headed, while those on the first floor are set into pointed arches. Both sets of windows have well-defined label moulds.

The composition of the façades is regular but notably asymmetric and each elevation of the building presents a different arrangement of parts to view. The principal façade faces out to the east and contains the main entrance, set in a flat-roofed single-storey porch arcaded with pointed arches, which is reached up a long flight of steps from the forecourt past a substantial rose garden and the awkwardly placed modern entrance to the subterranean car-park. The secondary elevation faces Parliament House, and views of it are substantially constricted by the close proximity of that building. A modern precast concrete and glass bridge connects the Library to Parliament House on this side. The tertiary elevation is to Hill Street; this falls partly below the rising street towards the west, giving passers-by an opportunity to better appreciate the complex roof-scape and intricate detailing of the building.

At the west the building opens out to a modern landscaped area including large lawns (the roof to the car-parking area below) and features a modern steel loading dock which reproduces the general form of a former cast-iron pavilion.

The building is particularly notable for its complex exterior and interior detailing and the extensive and elaborate ornamentation applied inside and out (particularly in the main foyer), all clearly designed to impress the visitor. The interior is a remarkable example of high Victorian hierarchy of ornament and decorum. Elements of note include the cast iron stairway with its ornate decorative work, ceilings which repeat the Gothic foliate capitals of the interior and exterior columns, fine cabinet work, and the high faceted glazed dome over the main circulation space which has been designed to take full advantage of natural light.

Recently restored, the Parliamentary Library retains a high level of exterior and interior authenticity and high overall heritage values. It makes a significant contribution to the heritage values of the parliamentary precinct as a whole.

Parliament Buildings

Parliament House is a substantial edifice designed in a somewhat spare Edwardian version of the Beaux-Arts Baroque style that was popular at the time for important civic buildings in the British Empire and which reflected both the strong ties of New Zealand to Great Britain and a desire to identify with English models of law and government. The work of the Government Architect John Campbell and his assistant Claude Patton, the building as it stands today is about half of that originally planned. The original 1911 design included a second wing symmetrical with the first, a grand dome surmounting the entrance lobby and lesser domes over the end pavilions.

As completed, the form of the building is distinctively asymmetric, an impression strongly enhanced by the adjacent Beehive, and is set out, on the main eastern elevation in the form of two pavilions linked with a loggia, with the bulk of the building contained in wings behind the eastern and northern façades. The larger southern pavilion is the main entrance and contains the main foyer of the building; the smaller northern pavilion is the architectural stop-end to the building. The exterior walls of both pavilions are rusticated in contrast to the plain ashlar work of the loggia between them.

The English influence is apparent in the detail work including the use of giant order columns, exaggerated rusticated stonework, quoins, voissoirs, keystones, broken and open-bedded pediments, and festoons. The principal architectural device of the building is the giant-order Ionic columns, which form the double-height open portico at the main entry, continue along the loggia and end attached to the northern pavilion, there set in pairs flanking deeply-recessed arched windows and elaborate wreathings.

The main floor of the building is elevated above the forecourt on a deeply-rusticated plinth; square-headed windows with prominent keystones tie in to the base moulding at the floor level. It is accessed from the forecourt by one of the best-known stairs in New Zealand which rises over a segmental-arched bridge. Above this are two principal floors capped by a heavy console-bracketed cornice and surmounted by a parapet and a minor level which is part of the composition of the two pavilions but is recessed back from the parapet line between the pavilions.

The fine materials used in the construction of Parliament House are characterised by the Coromandel granite and specially-quarried Kairuru marble on the exterior, the rich grey colours adding to the formal qualities of the building, and the vast quantity of the best native timbers on display in the interior.

The Beehive

Completed in 1980 to the singular design of prominent English architect Sir Basil Spence, this eccentric building, known formally as the Executive Wing and rather better by its eponymous form, is one of the most recognisable buildings in the country.

Infamously originated on the back of a napkin, the design of the Beehive defies a straightforward stylistic description. In architectural terms it is not a successful building: its cone shape does not relate in scale or form to John Campbell’s neighbouring Parliament Building of 1911, and there is something essentially graceless and squat about its detail and proportions.

The 72 m high building is a stepped conical mass consisting of a total of ten floors above ground, and four below, built on a concrete primary structure surrounding a central cylindrical service core. The bulk of the building oversails a large, predominantly single-storey, rectangular plinth rising from the forecourt level and is capped by a tall central flagpole.

The plinth, featureless to the east, is faced in white marble panels and brings the double-height principal floor of the Beehive more or less to level with that of the adjacent Parliament House, to which the Beehive is connected with enclosed bridges at two levels. At the rear of the complex, the plinth is stepped up to include an additional floor of offices and has extensive glazing; a new security entrance has recently been constructed at the north-west corner. At Bowen Street, there is a secondary entrance (now redundant) at street level into the Executive Wing.

The main bulk of the building is given character by the tall main floor which has a continuous curtain wall recessed back from the perimeter of the building and surrounded by an open arcade of 30 structural fins intended to resonate with the proportions of the adjoining Parliament House; this detail is amplified in the subsequent stories which are fully glazed and have pre-cast concrete fins at every mullion line, and further elaborated in the prominent rounded two-tier cap covered in weathered standing-seam copper which has discrete panels of large vertical fins shading windows at the upper level. The building contains the National Civil Defence Centre in a stoutly-reinforced basement and the terminus of the conveyor-belt link to Bowen House.

Various modern changes have affected the plinth, most recently a security lobby installed in the gap between the Beehive and Parliament House, but the building otherwise retains its original appearance.

Internally, the Beehive is notable for the peculiarities engendered by its radial plan, particularly evident in the principal public spaces. As David Kernohan remarks, ‘The building exhibits many of the problems inherent in a circular building with oddly-shaped spaces requiring custom-designed furniture and fittings. The central lift lobby is wholly disorientating, and the banqueting hall has the unusual quality that only the Prime Minister can see all his or her guests.’

The building has recently undergone a major internal upgrade to remedy some of the intrinsic deficiencies in wayfinding and the use of space generated by the original design.

Government Buildings

The timber Government Buildings were completed to the design of Colonial Architect William Clayton in 1876. Intended to house the entire Civil Service, and Parliament for part of the year, the building was constructed on reclaimed land downhill from the Parliament buildings.

Clayton originally intended the building to be constructed in masonry, and he designed it in a formal Palladian neo-Classical style with traditional design and materials reflecting the importance of its purpose and its intended permanence. While the parsimonious government of the day soon had the building’s construction changed to timber to reduce costs, Clayton’s detailing remained much as for the intended masonry building. This gives the building its distinctive appearance today.

Four stories high, Government Buildings has an H-shaped plan with a central wing. The building is symmetrical around its central wing, with corridors running centrally along each wing with offices on either side. There are two major staircases where the section portion meets the north and south wings. The building  has seven portico’d entrances, 22 replica chimney stacks (false, as they no longer serve fireplaces) and matching balconies overlooking the rear courtyard. It is notable for the extent and richness of its finishing details, including the re-created complex roof-scape of chimneys and acroteria above the pitched corrugated iron roof, the distinctive cladding with its prominent quoined corners and rustications, the Doric porches and the regular vertical pattern of the windows. 

The building’s style has been described as Italian Renaissance. It is characterised by the different treatment of the fenestration on each floor, from arched windows, to pedimented windows, to square headed windows on the third and top floors. Timber details are applied to these openings, as well as to the porticos and the eaves, in a Classically correct manner. Quoin blocks at the corners are worked in timber, while each floor is emphasised with a string course and the roof line with a bracketed cornice. The whole effect is one of dignity and repose.

The ground floor of the building is set as the plinth, with deep rustications to the cladding and arched windows with prominent moulded architraves springing off a string course line; “keystones” to the arches join to a cornice line at the first floor. Further string courses divide the succeeding floors and provide a horizontal contrast to the predominant vertical emphasis of the building created by the pattern of windows. The first floor windows have triangular pediments on corbels, those of the second floor have flat pediments on corbels and the third floor windows have plain architraves, but are set against the eave which has closely-spaced console blocks adding considerable texture to the building. A further interesting design feature are the curved window bays in the corners of the H.

The piles, originally totara, are now concrete. All structural framing is Tasmanian hardwood (now augmented with pinus radiata), while weatherboards, flooring and finishing timbers are kauri. There is great technical interest in the construction of the building, with 19th century carpentry techniques evident in all parts of the structure and in finishing work. There are two vaults that reach from the basement to the top floor at the conjunction of the wings and central portion. Internal surfaces, including the walls of the vaults, are lined with lath and plaster or manufactured sheet linings. The 1994-96 restoration also reinstated fireplaces and various decorative features long missing from the building.

As it stands today, the building is shorn of the many outbuildings that had accreted over the many years of government service and has been refitted for use by the Victoria University Law School, including a new octagonal lecture theatre and courtyard constructed at the rear of the building which crams the space around the main building and detracts somewhat from it.

The Government Buildings are complemented by generous grounds which include a number of features of interest, particularly the restored timber fence on the east side of the site which is particularly notable for the (replica) carved lion-head gates and the monumental plastered masonry fence and gate posts around the other boundaries (and the huge lamps set on top of the front gate), the marks recording New Zealand’s first standard surveyor’s chain and sculptures including a memorial to Fraser.

Cenotaph

The Cenotaph is an elegantly-designed memorial building composed as plinth and obelisk and finished in a Moderne style with a concrete structure clad in high quality finishing materials, including granite, marble and bronze. It is oriented to the north, with the rear elevation facing Bowen Street.

The obelisk has a stepped and tapered form which is surmounted by the rampant equestrian bronze. The flat-roofed single-storey plinth, which has a granite base and marble walls, is the same width as the obelisk but has thin wings extending to either side, and has a lightly stepped parapet concealing the roof. The north elevation of the plinth has a pair of central bronze doors, given emphasis with large flanking piers and deep jambs, letting on to the internal chamber. The walls of the wings are decorated with large bas-relief panels and the entire top perimeter of the plinth is decorated with commemorative plaques.

The terraced forecourt is laid out symmetrically on the building and features a pair of bronze lions on the low walls flanking the principal central steps. The concrete and asphalt forecourt extends to the boundary fence of the Parliamentary complex and is finished with a rather dated swirling1980s landscape design that bears little relationship to the formal elegance of the building itself or its proximity to Parliament. A small toilet block further up Bowen Street provides a necessary relief point for Anzac Day and other commemorative ceremonies. Pohutukawa along Bowen Street block views of the plinth and obscure many of the commemorative plaques.

Waititi Landing site

This park is today occupied by a simple arrangement of landscape and sculptural features. A path bisects the triangularly shaped piece of ground and passes between two 6.3-metre pouwhenua (boundary markers), designed by Te Atiawa sculptor Ra  Vincent. The design of the pouwhenua shows two figures, depicting the people of the land they stand on, and a kowhai design on the other side represents the wairua (spirit of the land) from which they emerge.

Open spaces

One of the special features of the precinct is the extent of open space around the buildings. The high proportion of open space to built area and the relatively low scale of the buildings imparts a special character to the precinct, reinforced by the great quantity of mature trees and plantings. This use of the land enhances the status of both the buildings and the area as a whole and effectively sets the area apart from the intensive commercial development on Lambton Quay and beyond.

The precinct illustrates both the early landform of and the subsequent development of the northern end of Wellington City. It reflects the early growth patterns of the city and the use of reclamation to expand the available flat land in the central city area, a process initiated and substantially carried out by the government.

The open space surrounding and adjoining the heritage buildings are significant places in their own right and contain items of considerable aesthetic value. At Parliament these include the Ballance and Seddon statues and the Cook Bicentenary memorial plaque.  The boundary wall and gates, although – in part – relatively recently reconstructed and refurbished, provides continuity of visual definition to this nationally important public open space. Likewise the granite-faced low retaining walls and raised planters, although relatively recent additions, are now an integral part of this space. The pohutukawa trees, although not native to Wellington, add considerably to the sense of place.

At the rear of Parliament the boundary walls and retaining walls , while not all individually listed heritage items, are an integral part of the heritage value of the precinct.  Much of the formal landscaping is relatively new, but other planting, comprising principally native trees, can be considered of heritage value, as it constitutes a series of important seams and buffers of rounded greenness which provide shade and convey a sense of permanence to the area.

The Cenotaph has a wider setting that is only fully realised at formal events such as Anzac Day commemorations. At such times the area nearby, including adjacent Lambton Quay, is full of people, illustrating the importance of its wider social and historical context. 

Government Buildings’ boundary fence and wall dates from the early 1900s and is of heritage significance, as is the Fraser statue in front of the main entrance. The remaining cabbage trees also date from the early 1900s. The planted exotics and natives have been in place for over 40 years and can now be considered significant landscape features. The latest plantings, although interesting for their diversity, have only been in place since 1996.

The Parliamentary Precinct has a high ratio of open space to buildings in comparison with the surrounding, predominantly high-rise commercial development. It comprises essentially four discrete open spaces:

(1)                 The Parliamentary Forecourt and grassed open space

(2)                 The Cenotaph, Waititi Landing Park and Lambton Quay

(3)                 The parking and green open space area to the west of the Parliamentary Buildings

(4)                 The space surrounding the Government buildings

Because of their purpose, history, uniqueness and siting, the three Parliamentary Buildings (comprising Parliament itself, the Executive Wing and the Library) anchor and dominate the open space surrounding them. The Cenotaph and Waititi Landing Park, because they are at the foot of the hill-slope, and, therefore, below the “Parliamentary Rise”, are further separated from the rise by large-scale, predominantly evergreen trees. They are also immediately adjacent to busy roads and intersections, and therefore they relate more directly to the streetscape.

The Government Building and its surrounding space is very much an island contained by streets. It is also fenced along its entire boundary and, therefore, it is effectively segregated from the other three open spaces by this and the width of the intervening streets.

The four open spaces, in addition to being discrete, are also distinctive, each being an entity unto itself.

Parliamentary forecourt

This comprises two sub-spaces:

• The sloping predominantly grassed and planted area ascending the “Parliamentary Rise”
• The contrasting level and paved forecourt proper immediately in front of Parliament and the Executive Wing

The former, in addition to passive use, also provides for paved vehicular and pedestrian access to the forecourt, and an elevated paved court in front of the Library, together with a carpark beneath Parliament.

The latter is semi-formal and ceremonial comprising the main steps to Parliament and the axial relationship of the Seddon Statue, surrounding paving and steps directly opposite.

The Cenotaph and Waititi Landing Park

Although both spaces are in stark contrast to each other in purpose and design, they are linked in a sense by their own historic underpinning. In physical terms they are also linked by a paved pedestrian area with seating and mature trees. The Cenotaph and its immediate precinct is a ceremonial space designed for congregating and remembering. The Waititi Landing Park, on the other hand, is very much a corridor framed symmetrically by the two large concrete pouwhenua; a corridor to slowly move through and pause to read the plaque.

West of the Parliamentary Buildings

The space to the west of the Parliamentary Buildings is the most busy and discordant. Most of it is hard-surfaced for parking and manoeuvring and this space is dominated by vehicle use, an aspect further emphasised by access to three underground carparks. 

This dominance is somewhat countered at the northern end by the sloping grassed and planted open space, culminating in the trees growing on the steep bank below Hill Street and the two tiered, semi-formal grassed courts at the rear of the Library. The somewhat incongruous mounded sculpture park on the former Broadcasting House site is the only significant area of grass at the southern end of this space.

A strong seam of native vegetation on the retained slope below the Executive Wing along the Bowen Street frontage links this area in lineal terms with the native planting leading down to the rear of the Cenotaph.

Government Buildings

The Government Buildings are surrounded in their entirety by paving for vehicular access and parking. There is a margin of grass and planting between the paving and the boundary, dissected by various vehicular and pedestrian access points and there are areas of grass and planting immediately surrounding the building, divided by entry points to the building.

Landscape Elements

These elements comprise surfacing, built items and what could be termed soft landscape including trees, shrubs, cover-plants and grass. Not all have heritage or potential value, but some clearly do. They are inventoried under the four open spaces as described above.

The Parliamentary Forecourt

The landscape elements comprise:

• Distinctive plastered and exposed aggregate panel masonry wall which surrounds the site
• Modular concrete paving and pre cast concrete kerbs used throughout
• Granite-faced walls and raised planters
• Seating
• Sloping grassed areas
• Large-scale specimen trees in grass
• Specimen ti-kouka (cabbage trees) in the granite-faced raised planters directly in front of Parliament
• Large-scale peripheral trees along the Molesworth Street frontage
• Mass planting of a limited range of NZ native plants beneath the peripheral trees
• Sloping beds of predominantly roses, flaxes and cover planting on the bank separating the forecourt to the Library (higher level) and the forecourt to Parliament Building and the Executive Wing (lower level).

The Cenotaph, Waititi Landing Park and Lambton Quay

The landscape elements comprise:

• Insitu and precast concrete paving surrounding the Cenotaph
• Circular precast concrete paving slabs and asphaltic concrete infill, between the Cenotaph and Waititi Landing Park
• The pou-whenua and simulated boardwalk at Waititi Landing Park
• Native cover planting on low mounds following the curved intersection of Lambton Quay and Molesworth Street
• Seating
• Annual bedding plants and some low ornamental shrubs associated with the Cenotaph
• Massed native trees on the slope leading up to the forecourt in front of the Executive Wing and continuing on the edge of the footpath at the northern extremity of Lambton Quay
• Exotic deciduous trees giving meaning to the circular paving pattern referred to under the second bullet point
• The broad swathe of asphalt along Lambton Quay

Area to the West of the Parliamentary Buildings

The landscape elements comprise:

• New extensions to the exposed aggregate panel and plastered masonry wall to the same design as surrounding the Parliamentary forecourt
• Realigned Museum Street paved with modular concrete pavers
• Wall along the rear of Parliament
• Retaining walls and steps separating the tiered and grassed courtyards at the rear of the Library
• Grassed and mounded sculpture Park
• Recently planted English oak in new circular planter at the head of Museum Street
• Mature English oak in sunken bed behind Parliament
• Massed native planting and grassed slope separating upper level carpark at northern end of site from main carpark
• Massed native trees on slope below Hill Street, together with some lower level planting

Government Buildings

The landscape elements comprise:

• The surrounding fence comprising wrought iron panels surmounting a plastered masonry wall
• High horizontally ribbed concrete wing walls on each side of ornate lions head arched gateways signifying the two pedestrian entrances to the recently constructed hexagonal lecture theatre, from Stout Street
• Asphaltic concrete paving to carpark and manoeuvring areas
• Modular concrete paving strips signifying points of pedestrian access to doorways at the rear of the hexagonal lecture theatre
• Seating
• A diverse range of planting including:

-    2 kauri trees formally placed in the grass on each side of the main entry

-    red-flowering gums within the lawn on the north-west side of the building

-    kowhai within the lawn to the north-east of the building

-    continuous mixed native trees and shrubs along the Stout Street frontage

-    fairly continuous mixed native shrubs used as foundation planting

• assorted native shrubs along the Whitmore Street frontage

Not assessed

The Parliamentary Precinct heritage area is one of the most important historic precincts in the country. It is the centre of government for New Zealand, and has become both a national and international landmark. The status of the heritage area, and its role in central government contributes to the character and sense of place of Wellington as New Zealand’s capital city. The heritage area is made up of a group of individually listed buildings and objects that include the magnificent timber Italianate Government Buildings (1876), Gothic Parliamentary Library (1889-1901), Edwardian Baroque Parliament House (1912 – 1921), Executive Wing or “Beehive” (1965 – 1981), Ballance, Seddon and Fraser statues, and the Cenotaph or “Wellington Citizens’ War Memorial” (1929). Many of these individual buildings and objects are local, national and international landmarks, and contribute to its character and sense of place of the heritage area. One of the special features of the precinct is the extent of open space around the buildings. The high proportion of open-space to built-area and the relatively low scale of the buildings imparts a special character to the precinct, reinforced by the great quantity of mature trees and plantings. This use of the land enhances the status of both the buildings and the area as a whole and effectively sets the area apart from the intensive commercial development on Lambton Quay and beyond. This ensures that the heritage area remains a defining element in the local streetscape and townscape. The high status evident in the substantial and formal nature of the buildings, the high quality of design and materials used, their relationship in the landscape and open nature of the wider setting and their common governmental history establishes a strong sense of architectural and historic cohesiveness to the precinct.

The Parliamentary Precinct heritage area is known to have been of some use for cultivation by Maori and as a waka landing site. Part of the heritage area was designated as a Government Reserve in 1840 and is associated with the New Zealand Company settlement of Wellington. The area has a rich history and, along with its use by Maori, was once the location of Richard Barrett’s first hotel, the first St Paul’s Anglican Church, the first national museum, and of various official residences for New Zealand’s Governors and Governor Generals. The site has been home to provincial and national government, and from 1865 onwards, has an association with many key historic national and international events, themes and personalities in New Zealand’s history. All of the existing Parliamentary buildings have great significance for their historical role in the governing of New Zealand and are of high heritage and architectural value. They are places where significant decisions affecting the nation have been made and where major national events have taken place. Government Buildings similarly has great significance as a place of national architectural and historic importance and is held in great affection in Wellington and throughout the country.

The heritage area has a recorded history that spans several centuries and is likely to have high archaeological value. An assessment of the exteriors of the buildings contained within this area will conclude that the area has very high heritage integrity. All the buildings retain, or have had restored, much of their heritage form and fabric. The principal buildings in the area – the two older Parliamentary buildings and Government Buildings – had government-funded refurbishments and restorations in the 1990s. In both cases, elements missing from the buildings were reinstated, enhancing the visual appeal and illustrating the original character of the buildings. Historically, Parliament Buildings and the Parliamentary Library have an obvious but very significant heritage integrity. They have served the same purpose since they were constructed; rare indeed. Government Buildings has changed its use but it remains in government hands and is used for a quasi-government purpose, in this case as the Law Faculty, part of Victoria’s Pipitea campus. The open spaces are equally mixed in their level of integrity. As is the nature of such spaces, maturing trees change their appearance considerably, and the major trees planted in the 1920s are still reaching the scale envisaged 80 years ago. Perhaps the most authentic is the eastern side of Parliament Buildings, which retains much of its 1920s layout, in particular the drive, walls, fences and gates, although it has been considerably altered in places. All the other spaces have changed markedly over time, with perhaps the only lingering element in the wider precinct being the 1900s fence and hedge surrounding Government Buildings.

The heritage area is synonymous with the government of New Zealand and, as such, forms part of the identity of the nation. It is used for official government business, state occasions, and is the physical environment for the everyday workings of parliament. The area has a strong media presence and is often used as the backdrop to news media stories on politics, and for political interviews. This ensures that the area is a focus for high public esteem, forms part of the nation’s identity, and has exceptional symbolic, commemorative and cultural value for many New Zealanders. Although best known for its role as the centre for government in New Zealand, some parts of the heritage area have additional social value. The Cenotaph has significant symbolic, commemorative and cultural values as Wellington’s Citizens’ War Memorial, and is the focus for local and regional events including the annual Anzac Day commemorative services. The Waititi Landing Park is marked by twin 6.3 metre pouwhenua gifted by the Wellington Tenths Trust and represents the enduring Treaty partnership between Te Atiawa/Taranaki whanau and the City of Wellington. The former Government Buildings have been refitted for use by the Victoria University Law School and has significant social value for the community that continue to use it.

The heritage area is unique as the centre for government in New Zealand, and as such has outstanding cultural heritage value. The area, through its site and buildings and longstanding governmental history, exemplifies the political and social history and development of New Zealand. Historically, Parliament Buildings and the Parliamentary Library have an obvious but very significant heritage integrity. They have served the same purpose since they were constructed; rare indeed. Government Buildings has changed its use but it remains in government hands and is used for a quasi-government purpose, in this case as the Law Faculty, part of Victoria’s Pipitea campus. The area has authenticity and integrity because of the retention of significant fabric from the time of the construction of each individual building, statue, monument or object, and for the conservation of the 1920s landscape, including the trees and open spaces.

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Not assessed

Not available

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