Home » News » Spanz Magazine » All Issues » March 2006 » The places Assembly staff have called home

The places Assembly staff have called home

By Yvonne Wilkie, Archivist

Over the past 100 years the Presbyterian Church offices have been located in two small rented rooms, a grand stately home, a “prestigious” fifteen storey office block, and a converted three storey warehouse.

Wellington was home to the first Church offices, which were provided for the newly created position of general treasurer in 1906. The offices comprised two rented rooms and a strong room located on Lambton Quay next to the Bank of New Zealand. One clerical worker supported the general treasurer and the Assembly clerk, but as the General Assembly introduced new projects and the various funds of the Northern and Southern churches amalgamated, a steady increase in administrative functions and financial outlay became apparent.

By 1920 the General Treasurer expressed his concern at the cramped environment in which he and his staff were expected to carry out their duties. Although tension existed among Church members over the increase in administrative functions and accompanying financial outlay, support existed to develop a larger central office. One correspondent noted that the “small rented rooms were no credit to the Presbyterian Church nor were they adequate”. He believed that the offices should be housed in “something more in accord with the dignity and mana of the Presbyterian Church and more conducive to the comfort, health and convenience of the splendid staff ”.

In 1926 the Church Property Trustees informed the General Assembly that a new building had been purchased for £9000. It was several doors up from St Andrew’s on The Terrace, and was an impressive home, built in 1884 of “heart totara with internal fittings of polished cedar and a grand staircase”. The previous owner, Miss Malcolm, had converted it into a “superior boarding house favoured by members of Parliament”. The Church offices initially occupied three rooms on the ground floor. An attached flat was set aside for a caretaker, the YMCA, several doctors, and the Bible Society rented the other space.

The Church Property Trustees assured Assembly that the Church would benefi t “considerably through owning its own property” and that the building would always pay for itself. Over the next 43 years, the Church’s offices gradually occupied a greater space and 114 The Terrace played a significant role in the Church’s sense of national identity. By 1960 the site had become prime real estate and offered the possibilities for future re-investment by the Church Property Trustees.

To the chagrin of many, the demolition of the stately home took place towards the end of 1967 to make way for a fifteen storey office block. Outlook , the Church’s national publication at the time, informed its readers that the new construction was in no way “a sign of Presbyterian wealth”. The building, to be known as Dalmuir House, the writer assured the readers, was “an appropriate way to utilise assets and make a valuable contribution to the commercial life of the capital city”.

Within 20 years the financial climate shifted once more, and in 1987 the Church Property Trustees deemed it best to sell Dalmuir House. The offices moved into temporary accommodation in Molesworth Street while other options were explored.

The present building, Laughton House, purchased in 1989, continued to provide a central point of focus for Presbyterians. However, with the administrative downsizing of recent years and continuing financial pressures the Church offices will once more be relocated and this time into space similar to that of 100 years ago.

Editor - At the time of printing, the search for new Assembly offices was underway following the sale of Laughton House in 2005, but no location had been confirmed.