Old Government Buildings - Waitangi Day

Old Government Buildings is open to the public free of charge this Waitangi Day.

Visit one of New Zealand's amazing old timber buildings - walk the corridors and elaborate staircase used by public servants and ministers, and learn about the history and construction of the building.

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.

Today, the Law Faculty of Victoria University of Wellington occupies most of the building. Visitors may view the displays on the ground floor and the Cabinet room on the first floor.