Te Kano Kohinga Kupu o Pōneke
Archives

Wellington City Archives is a primary information resource for the history of Wellington.

Search for heritage information and property records

Established in 1994, Wellington City Archives holds physical and digitised records dating back to 1840.

Our collections are a rich resource for anyone researching Wellington’s social history, and show changes in the community and urban development over the past 150 years. They also include building permits, consents and other property information.

Visit Archives online

Search and request property information 

Request all building permits and consents

You can request all building permits and consents for your house or another residential property in Wellington using the Building Consent Search Service.

Search for individual property records

For specific residential or commercial building permits or consents, visit Archives Online Property Search and request copies.

Our services

Do your own historical research

Hopefully, Archives online will meet all your research needs. Where it does not, you are welcome to visit us and search the archives in person. It is free for visitors to carry out historical research, but fees apply for some services. Please contact us to make an appointment.

Hire a staff member to carry out research

You can also hire a staff member to undertake your research. The fee is $30 per half hour (payable in advance). Please contact us to find out how we can help.

Copying and photographic reproductions

Staff will advise of the charges for digital copies of documents or any photocopying needed upon request.

Records that are digitised can be viewed in Archives online. If you require other records to be digitised, or you have specific digitisation requirements for an item identified online, please request this and we will price this on application.

Visiting the Archives

Visiting is by appointment only – this ensures we are as prepared for your visit as we can be.

Opening hours

Monday–Friday: 9am–4pm
Public holidays: Closed

Sign up to our newsletter

Our quarterly Archives newsletter allows us to share some of the coolest archives we've found, articles about the history of Wellington, and a little bit of behind the scenes from our archivists.

Contact and address

Phone: 04 801 2096

Email: archives@wcc.govt.nz

Website: https://archivesonline.wcc.govt.nz/

Postal address: PO Box 2199, Wellington 6140

Street address: 28 Barker Street (off Cambridge Terrace), Wellington 6011