Skip to main content

Story: Wellington region

The Beehive

Image
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

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, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/13378/the-beehive (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Chris Maclean, published 3 March 2009, updated 1 August 2015.