Story: Wellington region

The Beehive

The Beehive

In the 1960s the government decided to complete Parliament House, which had only been partly built between 1912 and 1922. Prime Minister Keith Holyoake had wanted to complete the original plan, but the government architect persuaded him to put up a modern building. British architect Sir Basil Spence drew this sketch of a round building rising in steps – reminiscent of a beehive. The distinctive building was opened in 1981. Officially the executive wing of Parliament, it is better known as the Beehive.

Using this item

Parliamentary Library
Pencil sketch by Basil Spence

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Chris Maclean, 'Wellington region - Government', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/13378/the-beehive (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Chris Maclean, updated 1 Aug 2015