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Story: Public service

Early civil service: Colonial Office, London

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Early civil service: Colonial Office, London

Much of the official business of early colonial New Zealand was managed from the Colonial Office, which was housed in this building in central London's Downing Street. Two-way communication between the two countries took up to nine months.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/1-104159-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Richard Shaw, Public service – Political control, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/33014/early-civil-service-colonial-office-london (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Richard Shaw, published 31 May 2012.