We are a membership not-for-profit organisation based in Wellington / Te Whanganui-a-Tara, New Zealand.

• We advocate for heritage in the wider Wellington region, and offer events such as talks, walks and visits to historic places and buildings. You can help by joining us.
• For more information, see our about us page.
• Our newsletters are under the resources page, as are useful links and other heritage information.
• We are also on Facebook and Instagram (#historicwelly)

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News and Events

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Sunday 1 February public talk 1-2pm. Free at the Dowse on Saving the Hutt’s Public Art Heritage. RSVP appreciated. Bronwyn Holloway-Smith is the author of Wanted: The Search for the Modernist Murals of Mervyn Taylor, and helped set up the public art register: https://publicart.nz/

Public artworks are more than decoration—they carry stories of place, identity, and change. When the spaces around them shift, these stories can be at risk. Who is responsible for protecting heritage works, and how can we ensure they remain part of our shared future? 

Dr Bronwyn Holloway-Smith, Co-Director of Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand, visited  Bill McCardle’s mosaic mural at Avalon TV Studios. She reflected: “The story of the mural feels like a metaphor for the rise and fall of Avalon Studios.” Join Bronwyn for an engaging talk exploring this work alongside a  Guy Ngan mural in Naenae and a piece by  E. Mervyn Taylor in Taita. These projects showcase different approaches to safeguarding the Hutt’s public art heritage and open a conversation about proactive, future-focused care. 

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10 February 5pm – 7pm. Wellington Heritage Festival is sponsoring a panel discussion on heritage and building reform with Minister for Building and Construction Hon Chris Penk, accompanied by an expert panel, focusing on the Government’s overhaul of the earthquake-prone building system and what it means for heritage buildings.

Following the Minister’s address, a panel discussion will explore the practical realities of the new framework, the risks and opportunities it presents, and how heritage outcomes can still be achieved. The panel features Iona Pannett (former Wellington City Councillor), Rob Jury (Beca), Ian Cassels (The Wellington Company), and Dr Jamie Jacobs (Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga).

Guests will be offered a drink on arrival, with canapés provided. Please RSVP early and arrive before 5:00pm so the event can begin promptly.

Venue: Wellesley Boutique Hotel, Maginnity Street. Cost: $30 pp. RSVP required to dwatt@heritage.org.nz and pay online using your name and “Building Act event” as the reference and code, to:
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga: 03-0502-0939456-00.

All proceeds support the Wellington Heritage Festival and our ongoing community events.

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Our chairperson, Felicity Wong, gave two talks in October 2025 – one to Friends of Te Papa on Heritage Churches of Wellington (read it here (PDF)), and one to U3A on ‘A city without heritage is like a person without a memory‘ (read it here (PDF)).

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Futuna Chapel in Karori (Futuna Close, off Friend St) is a Category 1 historic place that usually opens from 11 to 3pm on the first Sunday of the month. They are currently replacing the roof, so check their Facebook page for updates. CURRENTLY CLOSED.

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The latest newsletter of Historic Places Aotearoa is available here… as are their earlier newsletters: https://historicplacesaotearoa.nz/news-events/newsletters .

Our latest newsletter is available on our Newsletters page.

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St Andrew’s on the Terrace, a Category 1 historic place, has Wednesday (and occasionally Thursday) lunchtime concerts starting at 12:15pm.

Check their website for further details.

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Our chairperson, Felicity Wong, gave a talk to the joint annual conference of Historic Places Aotearoa and ICOMOS in Auckland on 12 November 2022 about keeping our built heritage. You can read it here (PDF).

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Our chairperson Felicity Wong gave a presentation (online via Zoom) to U3A Wellington city on 31 August 2021 on Challenges to Built Heritage: Neglect, Earthquakes and Urban Planning. You can read a copy on our advocacy page – or click this link here. (PDF copy)

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Blue Plaques. This is an initiative of our national body, Historic Places Aotearoa to identify and promote our built heritage.

The large cast aluminium plaques are designed to be placed prominently on the facades of important heritage buildings. We have more information on Blue Plaques on our resources page.

There is also a dedicated website for blue plaques.

The image shows Wellington’s first blue plaque at Randell Cottage in St Mary’s Street Thorndon (installed November 2022).

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