parliament buildings

The House of Representatives

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  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.

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• Page 2 – Quick history

  New Zealand's Parliament has been making laws, scrutinising the government and representing New Zealanders for over 150 years.

• Page 3 – Parliament

  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,

• Page 4 – Doing business

  The operation of Parliament has changed over time as its workload has grown and new systems such as MMP have been implemented.

Parliament Buildings

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  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.

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• Page 2 – First Parliament buildings

  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

• Page 3 – The halfway 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

• Page 4 – Current buildings

  Parliament Buildings are made up of the Edwardian neo-classical Parliament House and the Beehive – its name inspired by a brand of matches.

• Page 5 – Doing up the House

  In 1992 the biggest heritage building conservation project in New Zealand was undertaken with the strengthening and refurbishing of Parliament House and the Parliamentary

• Page 6 – A workplace

  Many people call Parliament their workplace, but for MPs and others, the parliamentary complex has not always been the ideal place to spend long hours.

• Page 7 – Library

  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

• Page 8 – Disasters

  Fires and earthquakes have been major threats to New Zealand's Parliament Buildings.

• Page 9 – Further information

  Find out more about the history of Parliament Buildings.

Parliament's culture and traditions

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  Explore Parliament's rich history and its colourful culture and traditions.

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• Page 4 – Westminster traditions

  Many parliaments take a lead from Britain's ancient House of Commons, and New Zealand, too, followed the traditions in the home country.

• Page 7 – A public meeting place

  New Zealand is one of the few places in the world where the public can walk around the grounds of Parliament.

Parliament's people

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  \Today there are 120 MPs in New Zealand's Parliament, which is a far cry from the 37 who met for the first time in Auckland in 1854.

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• Page 7 - SpectatorsAside from its constitutional functions, Parliament has also provided a spectacle for members of the