Heritage buzz at Beehive
Stonehenge, Serengeti, the Acropolis, Vatican City and . . . the Beehive? It’s early days, but work is under way on a bid to elevate Wellington’s Parliamentary Precinct to Unesco World Heritage status.
New Zealand has three World Heritage sites — Tongariro National Park, Te Wahipounamu (the southwest corner of the South Island) and the Subantarctic Islands.
To be included on the list, cultural and/or natural sites must be of “outstanding universal value”.
The status is a prestigious title which results in a boost for the local economy through tourism.
The Wellington City Council is researching two areas for the parliamentary precinct bid.
Information is being compiled about heritage buildings in the precinct and a case is being prepared outlining key legislation which has been enacted at Parliament.
The socially progressive legislation being discussed includes the likes of the country’s world leadership in women’s suffrage. When the Electoral Act 1893 was passed, New Zealand became the first selfgoverning country in the world where women had the right to vote.
New Zealand’s nuclear-free stance is also in the mix. In 1987 the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act was passed, making the country a nuclear and biological weapon-free zone.
The bricks-and-mortar component includes the executive wing of Parliament, more commonly known as the Beehive, which has become synonymous with Wellington as the capital.
In 1964 British architect Sir Basil
● It has 14 floors, four of them below
ground.
● Designed by Sir Basil Spence, it houses the executive wing of Government.
Spence designed the concept for the building, which is now a bold example of Brutalist architecture.
It’s said his first sketch was on the back of a napkin at a state dinner.
The building has become a landmark, standing 72m tall with 10 floors above ground and four floors below.
Next door the General Assembly Library, a substantial Gothic-style public building, is the oldest structure in the Parliamentary Precinct.
It is now known as the Parliamentary Library, providing research services for members of Parliament and parliamentary staff.
Across the road, the Old Government Buildings are considered the country’s largest and grandest wooden buildings.
All the precinct buildings have historic and cultural value through their association with the Government. Business done there has shaped society through significant policy and financial decisions.
The Unesco idea has been floated with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Grant Robertson.
The NZ entity that makes the application to Unesco is the Department of Conservation, which will soon be reviewing the tentative list it keeps of possible World Heritage sites.