The Government Buildings in

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

are the offices of the executive wing of Government of

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

. Built in the late 1930s as the seat of the colonial administration, the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

buildings today house the

Prime Minister of Fiji The prime minister of Fiji is the head of government of the Republic of Fiji. The prime minister is appointed under the terms of the 2013 Constitution. The prime minister is the head of the Cabinet and appoints and dismisses ministers. Des ...

's offices, the High Court, and several government ministries. It is also the seat of the

Parliament of Fiji The Parliament of the Republic of Fiji is the unicameral legislature of the Fiji, Republic of Fiji. It consists of 55 members elected every 4 years using open list proportional representation in one multi-member nationwide constituency. Hist ...

since 2014, having previously been the seat of Fiji's parliament from independence in 1970 until the 1987 coups.

History

With the foundation stone laid in 1937, the Government Buildings were designed by the Chief Colonial Architect, Walter Frederick Hedges, who had served from 1928 to 1931 as chief architect in the

Federated Malay States The Federated Malay States (FMS, , Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of four protectorate, protected states in the Malay Peninsula — Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang — established in 1895 by the British government, and whi ...

, where he designed the

Kuala Lumpur Hospital Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (, abbr: ''HKL'') is the largest Malaysian government-owned public hospital and higher specialised hospital in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Hospital opened in 1870, HKL is a not-for-profit ...

and '' Istana Iskandariah'', the palace of the

Sultan of Perak The Sultan of Perak (, Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the Constitutional monarchy, constitutional monarch and head of state of the Malaysia, Malaysian state of Perak. It is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states. The current Sultan o ...

. Hedges had previously served as Chief Architect in the Public Works Department in the Gold Coast Colony, where he designed the Prince of Wales College, Achimota, and was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE). The Government Buildings were formally opened in May 1939 by Governor Sir Harry Luke. From the time of its opening, the buildings were the seat of the colonial administration and the

Legislative Council of Fiji The Legislative Council of Fiji was the British Empire, colonial precursor to the present-day Parliament of Fiji, Parliament, which came into existence when Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970. The first Legislative Council Immediate ...

. With independence in 1970, the Legislative Council became the

and remained its seat until the 1987 coups. Parliament then moved to temporary premises until the opening of a new Parliament complex in 1992. Parliament was suspended following the 2006 coup d'état and when it returned following the 2014 general election, Parliament returned to its historic seat within the Government Buildings. In 2013, Chief Justice

Anthony Gates Anthony Harold Cumberland Thomas Gates was the chief justice of Fiji from 2008 to 2019. Gates is best known for his decision in ''Chandrika Prasad v. Att-Gen of Fiji'' 0002 FLR 89; ''Prasad v. Republic of Fiji & Another'' 0011 LRC 665; 001 ...

commissioned various renovations for the Courts section of the Government Buildings, which includes restoration of the clock tower on Gladstone Road. The clock was built and assembled by the Cumbria Clock Company in 1939.

Location

The building is located across the street from Albert Park, bounded by Southern Cross Road, Gladestone Road, Thurston Street and Victoria Parade. There are two statues located in the front of the building: * Ratu Epenisa Seru Cakobau * Ratu Sir

Lala Sukuna '' Ratu'' Sir Josefa Lalabalavu Vanayaliyali Sukuna (22 April 1888 – 30 May 1958) was a Fijian chief, scholar, soldier, and statesman. He is regarded as the forerunner of the post-independence leadership of Fiji. Lineage Sukuna was bo ...

The buildings should not be confused with

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

to the south on the same street (Victoria Parade).

Gallery

File:Clock Tower, Govt Buildings, Suva.jpg, Clock Tower, March 2010 File:Fiji's "Big Ben" July 2014.jpg, Clock Tower wrapped in scaffolding for restoration, July 2014 File:The Government Buildings of Fiji, July 2014.jpg, July 2014 File:Government Buildings Fiji August 2014.jpg, August 2014 File:Government Buildings Suva MatthiasSuessen-8446.jpg, 2015

References

{{reflist Government buildings completed in 1939 Buildings and structures in Suva Government buildings in Fiji Art Deco architecture