Government House, Auckland is the secondary

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

of the

governor-general of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand () is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom, he, on the Advice ...

located in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. The property is situated in the Auckland suburb of

Mount Eden Mount Eden is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Z ...

on Mountain Road. The building was erected in the 1920s as a private residence for

Frank Mappin Sir Frank Crossley Mappin, 6th Baronet (15 August 1884 – 25 January 1975) was a New Zealand orchardist, horticulturist and philanthropist. He was born in Scampton, Lincolnshire, England on 15 August 1884. He and his wife donated their Auckl ...

. Its construction required the demolition of another structure from the late-19th century. The Mappin family continued to own the residence until 1962, when they gave it to the Crown. The property has served as the official residence of the governor-general since 1969, following the departure of the Mappin family from property.

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 ...

, Auckland is the not the first property to serve as viceregal official residence in Auckland. The first Government House built in Auckland was completed in 1841, and was used as the residence for the governor of New Zealand until it burned down in 1848. Several other residences in Auckland were used to house the governor before Old Government House was completed in 1856. The present Government House replaced Old Government House as the governor-general's residence in Auckland in 1969.

History

Earlier Government Houses

The first Government House of Auckland was a prefabricated structure brought out by

William Hobson Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Royal Navy, who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. Hobson was dispatched f ...

in 1841. It was erected in Waterloo Quadrant and burned down in 1848 during

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

's first period as governor. The decision to rebuild was delayed, probably due to the possibility of the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

being moved to Wellington (which is what transpired in 1864). During the interim period other houses acted as Government House; the Nathan Residence on

Karangahape Road Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) is one of the main streets in the Auckland CBD, central business district (CBD) of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area – and subsequent flig ...

, Colonel Wynyard's house in Official Bay and Hulme Court in Parnell. The replacement Government House by William Mason was not completed until 1856. It served as the Governor's Auckland residence until 1969, when it was superseded by Birchlands in Mount Eden. Now known as Old Government House, the 1856 Italianate Mansion is now part of the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

City Campus and has been converted into lecture theatres and a common room for faculty. the building was in a poor state of repair.

Present Government House

Private residence

The site was probably first built upon in the 1880s or 1890s, although some of the trees may be slightly older, dating from the 1870s. Sir Frank Mappin, 6th Baronet and his wife Lady Mappin bought the Mount Eden property in 1921. They replaced the existing 19th century house completely, and spent the next 45 years developing and landscaping the grounds. They called the house Birchlands after a previous residence in Britain. The Mappins decided to present the residence to the Crown to act as the new Government House. The recent Royal Tour in 1953 had highlighted many deficiencies in the

Waterloo Quadrant building Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia *Waterloo, New South Wales ...

; the mid-Victorian structure was showing its age, and it felt increasingly hemmed in by the growing city and University and thus a possible security risk.

Acquisition by the Crown

The Mount Eden property was given to the Crown in 1962, although the Mappins did not depart until 1969. The deed of gift, signed by Sir Frank, and Prime Minister Keith Holyoake on 23 May that year declares that "the donor asmoved by his duty and loyalty to

Her Majesty Her Majesty may refer to: * Majesty, a style used by monarchs and wives of kings * Her Majesty (song), "Her Majesty" (song), a 1969 song by the Beatles about Queen Elizabeth II * ''Her Majesty the Decemberists'', an album from The Decemberists * H ...

and by a desire to benefit her present and future subjects in New Zealand by the provision of a site of dignity and beauty for the residence in Auckland for Her Majesty's Representative in New Zealand". The deed states the property is given "upon trust for Her Majesty her heirs and successors according to law as a site for Government House in Auckland for ever ..". Republican

Brian Rudman Brian C. Rudman is a columnist and regular editorial contributor to ''The New Zealand Herald'', New Zealand's largest daily newspaper. He has his own column, 'Rudman's City', where he mainly focuses on issues relating to Auckland (New Zealand's l ...

suggested that the House would have to be returned to the descendants of Sir Frank should New Zealand become a republic.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://gg.govt.nz/government-house/government-house-auckland Official residences in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Auckland Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth 1920s architecture in New Zealand 1920s establishments in New Zealand Albert-Eden Local Board Area