About the Hall

Wellington Trades Hall

The Wellington Trades Hall is a museum and union office on Vivian Street, Wellington, showcasing the history of the trade union movement in Aotearoa. 
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In the late nineteenth century, construction of trades halls overseas led the Trades and Labour Council to search for a suitable place for their own trades hall.

In 1923 the Council bought the Vivian Street site and architect William Fielding drew up plans. The then-leader of the Labour Party Harry Holland laid the foundation stone. Work on the building finished in 1927.
Originally the Wellington Trades Hall housed most private sector unions. Many of these unions did not need more than one room for an office. 1937 saw the founding of the Federation of Labour to help bring the unions together. It made its home in the Wellington Trades Hall.

The Trades Hall building also:
  • functioned as an institution of higher learning for working people
  • included classrooms for the Workers’ Educational Institute
  • housed a publishing press which printed the Labour journal ‘New Zealand Worker’ .
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In 1961, there became a need for more union officials to represent workers. This resulted in changes being made to the building, with extra offices being built and the glass roof being covered.

The 1980s saw further changes. The first was the result of the 1984 Trades Hall Bombing. On 27 March someone left a suitcase with a bomb in it, in the building’s foyer. The bomb went off and killed Ernie Abbott, the building’s caretaker, when he moved the suitcase. The bomber and their motive is still unknown. The damage caused by the blast resulted in changes to the foyer, including a security lobby and concierge booth.
In 1988, a building boom led to the removal of both the original assembly hall at the back of the Trades Hall and bridge that connected the two buildings.

The late twentieth century saw the decline of union membership as a result of changes to New Zealand’s industrial law. While many unions now choose to be in other locations, the hall is still occupied by some unions including:
  • Tramways
  • Manufacturing & Construction
  • Furniture
  • Postal Workers
  • Unite

Current Activities

Get Involved

The Trades Hall houses several working unions, including:
  • Manufacturing & Construction
  • Tramways
  • Furniture
  • Postal Workers
  • ​Unite Union
The Hall also welcomes students and members of the public to visit and see our exhibitions, hosted on the ground floor of the Hall. 
Trades Hall is currently accepting donation to help with the cost of rebuilding the original facilities on the roof of the current building.