New Zealand Insurance Building (Former)

• 1857 - 1863
• Land reclaimed
• 1859
• NZI established in Auckland
• 1861
• First NZI Wellington office opened on the corner of Grey Street and Lambton Quay
• 1919
• Three storey brick and plaster building constructed on this site
• 1937
• The NZI building constructed
• 1983
• NZI moved to new offices, and the building was bought by Federated Farmers and renamed Agriculture House. There was a major $442,000 renovation of the building at this time SR 62998, and a further permit SR D5625 to alter the ground floor to the Featherston Tavern with a construction value of $168,500.
• 1996
• WCC Heritage Hearings Committee recommended a “sunset clause” where the building remained on “The Schedule” for a period of 12 months pending further investigation by a panel of experts.
• c.1996
• Pre 1996 Modern verandah constructed, main entrance to office tower moved from Featherston to Johnston Streets (possibly in circa 1984)
• 1996
• March The majority of the review panel considered the building met the criteria for listing items of heritage merit identified in the District Plan and the building was included in the District Plan.
• 2012
• Federated Farmers head office relocated to new premises at 154 Featherston Street, Wellington and the building was renamed Aviation House

• 1924
• Sisters of Mercy
• 2002
• Unoccupied

Not assessed

The building is an eight storey commercial office building with a reinforced concrete frame and slab on tied pad foundations. Walls around stairs and lifts are concrete, as are party walls, walls to light wells and spandrels. Some in-fill panels are cavity brickwork. The building is a transitional piece between Classicism, Art Deco and Modernism and is interesting because it can be seen as part of a canon of work by Gummer and Ford, a profoundly influential practice of New Zealand architects.

Two freestanding columns (a common Gummer and Ford motif) stand sentinel at the Featherston St entrance. The building has little other decoration apart from the flattened urns which act rather like full-stops at the conclusion of each facade on each floor. Interest is provided by the faceted corner of the building, the setting back of upper floors and the arrangement of window in horizontal bands. The ground floor verandah is a modern addition which does not serve the building’s appearance well.

Most of the interior has been altered in modernising the office spaces. Only the stair off the lift lobby, with its glass tiles and decorative steel balustrade, remains as a largely original feature. Where suspended ceilings have not been employed, the original height and form of each floor can be determined from within the building.

Reinforced Concrete frame, slabs and external walls

Concrete block internal partition walls

Steel windows and doors

Bronze sashes and lay-lights to main entrance

Bronze lettering

Asphalt roof

Tasmanian Granite or Red Peterhead Granite (Scotland) to ground floor external walls and entrance steps and paving to entrances. Cast bronze caps to columns at Featherston Street entrance, aluminium cresting to the face of the canopy over the Johnston Street Entrance. Bronze metal sheathed doors (presumably to main entrance).

Wrought iron handrails to internal stair

Internal doors – vary and include bronze sheathed, Tasmanian blackwood, kauri, and redwood with various finishes and veneers including walnut and oak.

Featherston Street is a busy one way traffic route that runs parallel to Wellington’s prime retail and commercial precinct of Lambton Quay; parallel to the waterfront; and to the major arterial transport route of Customhouse / Jervois Quays. Featherston Street is comprised of multi-storey office buildings with retail or restaurants on the ground floor.

The significant heritage buildings on Featherston Street include the fine Gothic-style Seabridge House at 110-114 Featherston Street (1918-20), the former NZI Building at 131-133 Featherston Street (1937), Wool House at 139-141 Featherston Street(1955), Riddiford House at 150-152 Featherston Street(1931) and National Chambers 15 Johnston Street (on the corner of Featherston and Johnston Street) (1907).

The former NZI building is set on a prominent corner site at the intersection of Featherston and Johnston Streets. The building faces National Chambers (1907) a four storey painted brick building designed by Penty and Blake and set on the south east corner of the Featherston and Johnston Street intersection. National Chambers is notable for the carefully detailed, deep-set and rhythmic pattern of windows on both the Johnston and Featherston Street facades. The building to the north of the former NZI building is a pleasant mid twentieth century five storey commercial office building with a distinctive wave-form central verandah, and with a distinctive waveform pattern on the spandrel panels between the second and third floor windows.

• Architectural

  Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

  131-133 Featherston Street was designed by Gummer and Ford, an influential practice of New Zealand architects. It is notable for the arrangement of the windows in horizontal bands, the original fenestration, and the careful composition of the chamfered corner to Featherston and Johnston Streets.

• Group

  Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

  It is one of a group of early to mid 20th century heritage commercial office buildings that line Featherston Street and Johnston Streets.

• Townscape

  Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

  The building has townscape value for the way it responds to its prominent corner site.

• Association

  Is the item associated with an important person, group, or organisation?

  The building has historic value for its long association with the New Zealand Insurance Company. NZI was established in 1861 and continues to operate as one of New Zealand’s most successful insurance companies.

• Archaeological

  Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

  Central City NZAA R27/270 & pre 1900 reclamation

• Technological

  Does the item have technological value for its innovative or important construction methods or use of materials?

  The building has some technological value for the original engineering scheme designed to provide earthquake resistance.

• Identity Sense Of Place Continuity

  Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

  The building has had few intrusive modern alterations or additions (with the notable exception of the verandah) over the past 70+ years and contributes to the continuity and sense of place of Featherston Street

• Authentic

  Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

  The building exterior is generally in authentic condition and retains most of the original building fabric, except for the intrusive modern verandah, and the circa 1984 alterations to the building’s main entrance. The interior is notable for the original stair.

• Representative

  Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

  The building is a good representative example of a mid twentieth century commercial office building.

• Importance

  Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

  The building has local significance.

Not assessed

• “Cyclopedia of New Zealand, Vol.1 1897”, Cyclopedia of New Zealand Co., Wellington
• Kelly, Michael. “Agriculture House, 131-133 Featherston Street: Heritage Assessment for Wellington City Council” unpublished ‘Sunset Clause’ report prepared in circa 1996.
• NZHPT 1990, “Glossary of Architects, Engineers and Designers”, NZHPT, Wellington and NZ Biographies Index 1981 Vol.6 p.13, Alexander Turnbull Library
• Plans and specifications for New Zealand Insurance Building, 131-133 Featherston St,
• WCC archives
• Wellington City Council Heritage Building Inventory 2001 Feat 2
• Wellington City Council Heritage Building Inventory 2001 Feat 3
• Wises Post Office Directory 1942Criteria for assessing cultural heritage significance

• Inventory Report
• 1936 specifications and plans

Not available