Story: Historic places

Government House petition

Government House petition

A government proposal to demolish Auckland's Government House so a new university could be built led to a public campaign to save the building and its grounds for historical reasons. The campaign was led by Auckland Central MP A. E. Glover, who in August 1910 organised a substantial 16,000-signature petition calling for the building to be kept. Such was its size that when he presented the petition to Parliament Glover struggled to be seen above it. The building's future was secured in 1916 when a new government decided to restore the building and use its grounds for the university.

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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference: New Zealand Herald, 18 August 1910, p. 6

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How to cite this page:

Ben Schrader, 'Historic places - Historical awakenings, 1900s to 1920s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/document/42125/government-house-petition (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Ben Schrader, published 22 Oct 2014, updated 19 Aug 2016