New Zealand Parliamentary Library

The New Zealand Parliamentary Library (Māori: Te Whare Pukapuka o te Paremata;[1] formerly the General Assembly Library)[2] is the library and information resource of the New Zealand Parliament. The current library building in Wellington was completed in 1899 and is the oldest of the extant buildings in the Parliament complex. It stands to the north of Parliament House (to its right, looking from the front).

Parliamentary Library
Te Whare Pukapuka o te Paremata  (Māori)
The Parliamentary Library building in 2006
Former namesGeneral Assembly Library
General information
TypeLibrary
Architectural styleGothic Revival
Town or cityWellington
CountryNew Zealand
Coordinates41.27723°S 174.77666°E / -41.27723; 174.77666
Construction started1897
Completed1899
Technical details
Structural systemBrick
Design and construction
ArchitectThomas Turnbull
John Campbell
Designated20 July 1989
Reference no.217
References
NZHP website

History and building design

The library was originally designed as a three-storey building by Thomas Turnbull in Gothic Revival style.[3] It was fire resistant, being constructed of brick made at Mount Cook gaol[4] with an iron firedoor separating the library from the main entrance section. The third storey of the design was not built to save money (costs had reached £50,000) and it was completed by the government architect John Campbell. He redesigned the parapets, gables and roof to take account of the building's reduced height.[5] Turnbull dissociated himself from the entire project and asked for his name to be removed from the foundation stone.[6]

The fireproofing saved the library from the fire of 1907, which destroyed the rest of the wooden parliament buildings.[7] (Coincidentally, the same thing happened in Ottawa, Canada, in 1916—with fire doors saving the Library of Parliament when the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament burned.[8])

1990s refurbishment

Like Parliament House, the building was strengthened and refurbished between 1993 and 1995. The building design was replicated to match the original designs. The ornate main foyer, which was damaged by another fire in 1992, was refurbished. The Gothic elements of the roof, including ironwork, turrets, and finials, were recreated. The original iron door (that saved the library in 1907) was restored.[9]

The building is registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I heritage structure with registration number 217.[10]

Services

The Parliamentary Library is an information repository and research service for members of Parliament and parliamentary staff. Access to the building is generally restricted to those on parliamentary business, yet research publications produced are available to the public.[11]

By the 1920s the library's collection had reached more than 100,000 volumes; by 1950 this has grown to 200,000 volumes. In 1966 the Parliamentary Library became part of the new National Library of New Zealand; much of the library's collection (close to half a million volumes) was moved to other National Library locations, while relevant texts remain in the Gothic building. In 1985 the Parliamentary Library left the National Library to become part of the newly-formed Parliamentary Service.[12]

  • Steps leading to entrance
  • Detail of the roof
  • Foundation stone
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References
  1. "Ngā whare Paremata". teara.govt.nz (in Maori). Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  2. McLintock, Alexander Hare, ed. (2005) [originally published in 1966]. "General Assembly Library, Wellington". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  3. "Parliamentary Library". Wellington City Council. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  4. O'Neil, Andrea (16 September 2015). "Mt Cook Gaol a loathed landmark on Wellington's finest site". The Dominion Post. Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  5. Parliamentary Library, Parliament Grounds, Molesworth Street, Wellington City Heritage, 6 March 2013, pp. 3, 4, 9, retrieved 17 June 2019
  6. "Sydney and Florence Turnbull at the Parliamentary Library, Wellington - Photographed by Mark Coote". National Library of New Zealand. 11 May 1993. Retrieved 29 March 2020. Thomas Turnbull had demanded that his name be hidden after his original design was modified. Restoration work on the Parliamentary Library had revealed his name on the foundation stone.
  7. "Parliamentary library escapes fire". nzhistory.govt.nz. New Zealand History online. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  8. "Feb. 03, 1916: When Canada's Parliament burned". Radio Canada. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  9. "Parliamentary Library today". www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  10. "Parliamentary Library". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  11. "Need more information?". www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  12. "History of the Parliamentary Library". www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 29 March 2020.


Further reading
  • General Assembly Library. Newsletter of the Wellington Regional Committee of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Vol. 1, no. 4, May 1977.
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