The New Zealand Parliament Buildings consist of Parliament House, the Executive Wing (The Beehive), the Parliamentary Library and Bowen House.
The Parliamentary Library is a working library that provides research services for members of Parliament and parliamentary staff. There is also a public reading room for customers of the Library’s International Documents Service and the Parliamentary Information Service.
From heritage.org.nz
"The General Assembly Library, now known as the Parliamentary Library, was designed by Thomas Turnbull (1824-1907). Began in 1897, and completed in 1899, it stands on the former site of Wellington's Provincial Government Building. The building was designed to complement the gothic features of the timber Parliament Buildings which it adjoined.
The building was built with brick and plaster facings. Turnbull was a pioneer in designing buildings that could withstand earthquakes and fires. As such he played a leading role in transforming the capital from a city filled with timber buildings (which had long been preferred in the city as a result of the earthquake risk) to one with many substantial masonry buildings. Construction of the library in permanent materials was part of this process. The library was designed to have three stories with a single-storey portico and a prominent wing, which balanced a wing of the Parliament House. Many of its decorative gothic features replicated those of the timber Parliament House. Inside and out the building had fittings of exceptional quality.
Once the building had been built to the second of its three intended floors, parliament ordered that the work be stopped as a cost-cutting measure. Turnbull resigned from the project in protest at this decision; he was concerned that the building would be dwarfed by the neighbouring building. At his request, the building's foundation stone, which had been laid in 1898, was altered so that his name was not visible.
The job of ensuring that the work was completed fell to John Campbell (1857-1942), the Government Architect. He redesigned the parapet, gable and roof of the building, and many of the intended decorative features were removed from the design. It is a testament to Campbell's skill that the design of the building is well resolved. Despite this, the building is still fundamentally Turnbull's. A system of firewalls and doors were built within the building and between the old wooden parliament building and the new building; as a result, the library survived the fire that completely destroyed the timber portions of the parliament building in 1907.
The building did not simply house the library but also offices for Cabinet, committees rooms, parliament's dining room, a bath-house and other offices over the years. As one part of the complex of government buildings, the library building has played an important part in New Zealand history. In 1901 the portico was draped in black cloth as crowds gathered to mark the death of Queen Victoria; in 1907 the governor announced that New Zealand had become a Dominion from its steps. The leader of the opposition had offices in the building for many years until the Beehive was completed in the 1980s, at which time the library expanded to occupy the entire building.
As a result of concerns about earthquake safety, a major refurbishment of the library and Parliament House was undertaken in the 1990s. Many expert craftsmen were employed to replicate some the original features of the building. In 1992, while this work was progressing, the building was significantly damaged by fire, destroying some of the fixtures that the restoration was attempting to preserve. Also during this work, four gables that had been removed in the 1950s for earthquake reasons were re-built and the original rose windows were replicated. When plaster at the bottom of the foundation stone was chipped away during the course of this work, Thomas Turnbull's name was once again revealed. Presumably as a deliberate decision in order to honour his wishes, his name was covered over again. The building continues to house parliament's library.
The architectural quality of Parliamentary Library building, its internal spaces, light and quality of fittings all mean that the building is one of New Zealand's architectural treasures. It has seen many important events of New Zealand's history and, with the neighbouring Parliament House (built in 1912-22), Beehive, and the wooden Government Building (1871) nearby, it forms part of a complex that is an extremely significant part of New Zealand's heritage. The building is a tribute to the skill of both the original architect Thomas Turnbull, and John Campbell, who successfully redesigned the half-completed building." (
visit link)
Free, daily, one-hour guided tours of Parliament begin on the hour at the Visitor Centre in the foyer of the Beehive, Monday to Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 4 p.m.