Defence House

Historic building in Wellington, New Zealand

Defence House

Defence House in 1939

General information
Architectural style| Art Deco
Location| 15–21 Stout Street, Wellington
Coordinates| 41°16′53″S 174°46′37″E﻿ / ﻿41.28130°S 174.77695°E﻿ / -41.28130; 174.77695
Current tenants| Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Owner| Argosy Property Management
Technical details
Floor count| 8
Floor area| 21,000 square metres

Heritage New Zealand – Category 2

Designated| 10 September 1981
Reference no.| 1356
Defence House's foundation stone

The former Defence House is historic office building in Wellington, New Zealand. For many decades the building housed the New Zealand Defence Force, and after a period of vacancy and subsequent extensive refurbishment, it is now occupied by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

The building is classified as a Category 2 Historic Place (places of "special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value") by Heritage New Zealand.[1]

## History

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In 2007, the New Zealand Defence Force moved out of the building after tenanting the building since its construction in the 1940s. The building was no longer fit-for-purpose, and according to the Defence Force: "Despite refurbishments the décor remained dull and dated and the building’s services were inefficient." The Defence Force flags were taken down on 23 February 2007 in a ceremony to close of the building.[2]

In December 2012, it was announced that the building would be bought by Argosy Property Management for $33.2 million. A 12-year tenancy agreement was signed between Argosy and the New Zealand Government in January 2013.[3]

### Occupation by MBIE

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In late 2014, about 2,000 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment employees moved from five Wellington buildings into the 15 Stout Street building.[4]

The relocation had a capital budget of over $18 million, but ultimately $16 million was spent. Operational expenditure on the move was $688,000.[4] The costs involved with the refurbishment were controversial, including the almost $70,000 cost of the MBIE sign outside the building, and the $360,000 cost of office furniture ($1800 per staff member).[5]

## References

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1. ^ "Defence House". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
2. ^ New Zealand Defence Force (23 February 2007). "End of Era for Defence House". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
3. ^ "Former defence building purchase unconditional". Radio New Zealand News. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
4. ^ a b MBIE. "Background of MBIE move" (PDF). MBIE. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
5. ^ Rutherford, Hamish (3 June 2015). "MBIE admits stone sign cost $24,000 more than it originally claimed". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 4 May 2016.

## External links

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Media related to Defence House, Wellington at Wikimedia Commons

* Profile of the building, Architecture Now (2014)