In its heyday New Zealand’s largest and grandest wooden building housed our entire public service. Other parts of the buildings are closed to the public.
Old Government Buildings is an outstanding example of New Zealand’s architectural heritage and one of the great wooden buildings of the world. Visitors can view displays on the ground floor and the Cabinet Room on Level One.
22/10/2025
⚠️ Due to a Strong Wind Warning, Old Government Buildings will be closed on Thursday 23 October. Apologies for any inconvenience.
⚠️ Property Closures: Thursday 23 October ⚠️
Due to Strong Wind Warnings, our Wellington, Marlborough and Canterbury properties will be closed or inaccessible tomorrow (Thursday, 23 October). Please keep an eye on our social media for the latest info.
Properties include:
WELLINGTON
📍 Old St Paul's
📍 Antrim House
📍 Old Government Buildings
📍 Pencarrow Lighthouse
📍 Upper Hutt Blockhouse
MARLBOROUGH
📍 Rai Valley Cottage
CANTERBURY
📍 Fyffe House
📍 Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House
📍 Lyttelton Timeball
🔗 More information via Visit Heritage (link in the comments)
28/07/2025
Spotted some boarded-up windows at Old Government Buildings recently? Unfortunately we’re not recreating George R. Romero’s zombie classic 🧟♂️ Night of the Living Dead – we’re just conducting our annual window clean and maintenance.
In fact, zombies and survivors can walk straight in the front door, Mon-Fri, 9am-4.30pm! (No gore on the carpets, please.)
More info via the link in the comments 👇
08/04/2025
Ready to visit OGB in the heart of New Zealand's historic parliament precinct? This impressive kauri-lined labyrinth once housed the entirety of the Wellington-based civil service and New Zealand Cabinet and is open for visitors year-round. Plan your visit at https://www.visitheritage.co.nz/visit/wellington/old-government-buildings
17/03/2025
Last Chance to see......hard to believe we have only two weekends left of this summer season.
Tours are available through Eventbrite and the building will be open from 10.00 until 4.00pm Saturday and Sunday this weekend the 22nd and 23rd March and next weekend 29th and 30th March 2025.
The building will be open Monday to Friday over the winter and visitors are welcome to come in and get out of the cold. Our photo today is courtesy of Moira Gumm from Porirua Photography Club
04/02/2025
The Flags of New Zealand temporary display is now live. If you ever wondered what it takes to mount a museum style display in a Heritage building then I can tell you it takes 3M strips, packing tape, blue tack, a tape measure and lots of velcro dots! Lath and Plaster walls, hand stencilled borders and some Kauri timber panelling create a definite logistics challnge but so far nothing has fallen off!
Open tomorrow from 10.00 till 4.00pm we will have the coffee on!
30/01/2025
Entry is free and we will be open from 10.00am until 4.00pm.
20/01/2025
The Tui are already making themselves at home in the Gum tree above the shelter and the Waka look serene on the harbour.
Not just shelters these art installations are by a local artist and we hope you love them as much as we do.
20/01/2025
The day has arrived sunny and wind free which means the delivery of the new container shelters for our new cruise ship visitors has gone smoothly.
Working in collaboration with Centreport and Wellington City Council has been a pleasure and we are very happy with the end result. The containers will be in place until the end of the cruise season in April this year.
20/01/2025
We have certainly started the week off with a lot of activity. Today we have roofers on site looking at two persistent leaks. As is the nature of historic buildings it is not simple as there are no abseil anchors so all roofing work needs to be done using a hoist.
Remember to walk around the grounds if you are coming this way and enjoy the garden and the different views of Old Government Buildings in the sunshine. Access to the front lawn is temporarily restricted until the heavy equipment has been removed.
17/01/2025
Yes, we are open from 10.00am to 4.00pm all weekend and Wellington Anniversary Monday!
Send a message to learn more
05/01/2025
The gum trees are a little late this year (and who can blame them) but they are starting to colour up all the way along the front of the garden. Old Government Buildings is very happy to announce that we are now open seven days a week until the end of March.
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Proudly cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
Nau mai, Haere Mai. Welcome to Old Government Buidlings in Wellington, New Zealand.
In its heyday New Zealand’s largest and grandest wooden building housed our entire public service. Government Buildings is an outstanding example of New Zealand’s architectural heritage and one of the great wooden buildings of the world.
The building was designed in the classically-derived Italian Renaissance revival style. Like many colonial buildings of the era, it was built to resemble a stone palace. This was to convey strength and stability in a young country undergoing rapid growth and change.
To avoid being seen as extravagant, the new government chose to build in timber including extensive use of kauri, and it remains probably the world's largest timber office building. The constant threat of fire meant that it also became one of New Zealand’s first smoke-free buildings.
It was completed in 1876 - an important turning point in New Zealand’s political history. This year saw the provincial governments abolished and a central government established. For 56 years, the building was the home of Ministers’ offices, the Cabinet room and all Wellington-based civil servants.
It features include two staircases, eight vaults, 143 rooms, 126 fireplaces, 22 chimneys, two hydraulic lifts, 64 toilets, eight verandas and seven porticos. Government ministers used the building during Parliament's recess until 1921. The Executive Council met in the building until 1948.
Before long, the public service had rapidly expanded beyond the building's capacity. By 1990, the last of the public service departments had moved out, concluding 114 years of government service.
Limited restoration began in the early 1980s but by 1990 the building was empty. The government decided to restore the building and work began in 1994 under the management of the Department of Conservation. The work cost $25 million and was completed early in 1996. It is regarded as a landmark in government-initiated heritage conservation.
Today, the Law Faculty of Victoria University of Wellington occupies most of the building that has been at the heart of New Zealand’s central government activities since 1865. Visitors may view the displays on the ground floor and the Cabinet room on the first floor. The grounds feature examples of New Zealand's flora, including many rare species.
