Defence House

The Departmental Building, long known as Defence House, is a 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 (MBIE).

Defence House
Departmental Building, c. 1952
Interactive map of Defence House
General information
Architectural style	Art Deco
Location	15–21 Stout Street, Wellington
Coordinates	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
Design and construction
Architect	John Mair
Main contractor	Fletcher Construction
Heritage New Zealand – Category 2
Designated	10 September 1981
Reference no.	1356

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

The foundation stone

MBIE head office, 2023

Departmental Building

The Departmental Building was designed by Government Architect John Mair in 1935. Work started in late 1935 but was suspended in 1936 while additional land was bought^[2] and new plans drawn up.^[3] The foundations were completed in 1938. The main contractor was Fletcher Construction, with the steel framework erected by William Cable & Company. Construction was largely finished by 1940,^[2] although fitting-out was still being done in March 1942.^[4]

Defence House

In 2007, the New Zealand Defence Force moved out of the building after tenanting the building since its construction. 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 the building.^[5]

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.^[6]

MBIE head office

In late 2014, about 2,000 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment employees moved from five Wellington buildings into the 15 Stout Street building.^[7] The relocation had a capital budget of over $18 million, but ultimately $16 million was spent. Operational expenditure on the move was $688,000.^[7] 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 ($1,800 per staff member).^[8]