Parliament buildings have been modified, destroyed by fire, half-built and restored; the parliamentary places and spaces have formed an important part of New Zealand's history.
New Zealand's Parliament dates back to 1854, just 14 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and the beginning of the European settlement of the country. For most of its history as a nation state, New Zealand has had some form of elected government.
Auckland was a bustling place in 1854 when Parliament met there for the first time. The buildings were located in paddocks on what was then the edge of town, Constitution Hill, between Official Bay and Mechanics Bay, close to the present-day University of Auckland.
Today there are two parts to Parliament – the House of Representatives (or the Lower House) and the Governor-General, but between 1854 and 1951 there was a third part, the Legislative Council (or the Upper House).
In 1911, a competition was held for designs for a new building to house Parliament. From the 33 proposals, John Campbell's was selected and building began, although it did not all go as planned.
This view of part of Parliament House is from the 1890s. The section on the right was built as the Provincial Buildings in 1857. When central government was moved to Wellington it became Parliament Buildings.
This view of Parliament Buildings is from Sydney Street (which then ran from what is, today, Sydney Street West right through to the bottom of Mulgrave Street). The building on the left was designed by William Clayton in 1871 and was destroyed by fire in 1907.
The main entrance portico of Parliament Buildings is illuminated to celebrate Dominion Day (26 September 1907). Words are illuminated as follows: 'Advance New Zealand' and beneath this 'Colony 1840 Dominion 1907'.
This 1908 plan for the new Parliament Buildings was never built. It shows the position of Government House (outlined in black), which was to be replaced by a larger, new structure built around it.
Marble for use in the construction of Parliament Buildings arrives in Museum Street on a Leyland truck of Hansford & Mills Construction Ltd, about 1920.
The first floor of the House of Representatives, which shows the floor tiles, dado, columns and stairs all of New Zealand marble, was photographed at about the time of completion of Parliament Buildings, about 1922.
For people passing Parliament's grounds, the library building is a picture postcard, but it is also an important research institution that has thousands of books, newspapers and other documents about Parliament.
This 1955 photograph shows the building in Parliament grounds originally built as Government House. After the Parliament House fire of 1907, this building housed Parliament, and the governor lived at Palmerston North until the new (present) Government House was ready.
