Tall buildings in Wellington Tallest building Majestic Centre (1991)Tallest building height 116 m (381 ft) Buildings above 20 stories 11 (2025) Buildings above 100 m 3 (2025)
The Majestic Centre, the tallest building in Wellington
The Aon Centre, the 2nd tallest building in Wellington
Dimension Data Tower (left), Forsyth Barr House, and Bayleys Building
Bowen House (left) and the Beehive
This list of tallest buildings in Wellington ranks the tallest building's in the New Zealand capital city of Wellington by height. This ranking system, created by the US-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat includes the height to a spire but not to an antenna .[ 1] The Majestic Centre is the tallest skyscraper in the city at 116 metres (381 ft).
Tallest buildings
The list below contains the top 60 buildings in the city at 50 m (164 ft) high and above. All are High-rises except for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranked buildings which are skyscrapers .
Name
Height[ 2]
Floors[ 2]
Built[ 2]
Purpose
Notes
1
Majestic Centre
116 m (381 ft)
29
1991
Office
2
Aon Centre (Wellington)
103 m (338 ft)
27
1984
Office
Originally opened as the BNZ Centre
3
HSBC Tower
101 m (331 ft)
25
2003
Office
Is 94M to roof height and 101M to the Spire[ 3]
4
NTT Tower
93 m (305 ft)
25
1998
Office
Formerly Mobil on the Park, Vodafone on the Park and Dimension Data Tower[ 4]
5
Bowen House
90 m (295 ft)
22
1991
Office
6
James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor
88 m (289 ft)
26
1972/1998
Hotel
7
Plimmer Towers
84 m (276 ft)
25
1975/1986
Hotel/Office
Originally opened as the Williams Centre
8
125 The Terrace
77 m (253 ft)
21
1986
Office
9
Morrison Kent House
76 m (249 ft)
21
1969
Office
[ 5]
10=
113 The Terrace[ 6]
72 m (236 ft)
19
1988
Office
Formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers Tower; currently the home of Wellington City Council [ 7]
The Beehive
72 m (236 ft)
10
1981
Office
12=
111 Dixon Street [ 8]
70 m (230 ft)
20
2019
Residential
Tallest residential building in Wellington.
Maritime Tower
70 m (230 ft)
18
2006
Office
Grant Thornton House
70 m (230 ft)
18
1983
Office
Formerly known as ANZ Tower
Westpac Tower
70 m (230 ft)
18
1978
Office
Chews Lane Tower
70 m (230 ft)
19
2009
Office/Residential
17=
Aurora Centre[ 9]
68 m (223 ft)
19
1968
Office
Was the tallest building in Wellington when completed. Underwent a major facelift in 2016-17
Equinox House[ 10]
68 m (223 ft)
16
1987
Office
Radio New Zealand House
68 m (223 ft)
13
1963
Office
[ 11]
20=
Fujitsu Tower
66 m (217 ft)
18
1985
Office
Formerly known as Caltex Tower[ 12]
Novell House
66 m (217 ft)
17
1975
Office
No.1 The Terrace
66 m (217 ft)
17
1978
Office
Headquarters of the New Zealand Treasury
Vogel Building
66 m (217 ft)
17
1966
Office
Was the tallest building in Wellington and the 2nd tallest building in New Zealand when built[ 13]
Reserve Bank of New Zealand[ 14]
66 m (217 ft)
16
1972
Office
[ 15]
25=
AXA Tower
65 m (213 ft)
17
1989
Office
The Freyberg Building[ 16]
65 m (213 ft)
15
1979
Office
The adjoining 7-storey Freyberg House (2007) was demolished after the 2016 earthquake.[ 17]
27
One Whitmore Street [ 18] [ 19] [ 20]
63 m (207 ft)
14
2023
Commercial
BNZ 's Wellington office.
28
20 Customhouse Quay [ 21]
62 m (203 ft)
14
2018
Commercial
Replaced BP House, which was originally built in 1968 and demolished following the 2013 Seddon earthquake .[ 22]
29
Charles Fergusson Building
61 m (200 ft)
17
1976
Office
30
New Zealand Police National Headquarters
60.47 m (198 ft)
17
1979
Office
[ 23] Formerly FAI Insurance House.
31=
Bolton Hotel
60 m (197 ft)
20
2004
Hotel
Sovereign Insurance Centre
60 m (197 ft)
17
1984
Office
Bayleys Building
60 m (197 ft)
16
1989
Office
Two Hunter Street
60 m (197 ft)
16
1991
Office
City Tower
60 m (197 ft)
16
1991
Office
Jellioce Towers
60 m (197 ft)
16
1965
Residential
Was the tallest Residential building in Wellington when built[ 24]
Forsyth Barr House
60 m (197 ft)
16
1989
Office
Pastoral House
60 m (197 ft)
15
1978
Office
39=
Rydges Hotel
57 m (187 ft)
16
2006
Hotel
Originally opened as a Holiday Inn
Alcatel Lucent House
57 m (187 ft)
15
1988
Office
Formerly Telecom House
41=
Quest on Johnston
55 m (180 ft)
18
2000
Hotel
Terrace Heights Apartments[ 25]
55 m (180 ft)
17
1999
Residential
Stafford House
55 m (180 ft)
14
1977
Residential
Originally an office, now university housing.
Avalon Studios
55 m (180 ft)
11
1969
Office
Tallest building in Wellington outside of the CBD
45
Sir Robert Jones Tower
52 m (171 ft)
14
2019
Office
[ 26]
46
National War Memorial
51 m (167 ft)
1932
Bell and clock tower
47=
20 Oriental Parade
50 m (164 ft)
16
Residential
Mercer Tower
50 m (164 ft)
15
1989
Office
Public Trust Building
50 m (164 ft)
15
1982
Office
Investment House
50 m (164 ft)
15
1977
Office
Simpl House
50 m (164 ft)
15
1987
Office
Willeston Centre[ 27]
50 m (164 ft)
14[ 28]
1984?
Office
Originally the Colonial Mutual Life Insurance Building.[ 29]
AMI Plaza[ 30]
50 m (164 ft)
14
Office
Rutherford House
50 m (164 ft)
14
1975
Office
Originally the headquarters of the NZ Electricity Department .[ 31]
Sovereign House
50 m (164 ft)
14
1988
Office
Castrol House
50 m (164 ft)
14
1987
Office
Westpac Trust Investment House
50 m (164 ft)
14
1982
Office
Technology One House
50 m (164 ft)
13
1987
Office
Formerly known as the Renouf Centre and Terenco Finance House
BNZ Trust House
50 m (164 ft)
13
1985
Office
Guardian Trust House
50 m (164 ft)
13
1984
Office
Optimation House
50 m (164 ft)
12
1979
Office
[ 32]
Pinnacle on Victoria[ 33]
50 m (164 ft)
17
2021
Residential
Under construction, approved or proposed
Name
Height[ 2]
Floors[ 2]
Built[ 2]
Purpose
Notes
1
109 Featherston Street Tower[ 34]
89 m (292 ft)
19
Commercial
Approved resource consent
2
110 Wakefield Street Tower
86 m (282 ft)
22
Commercial
Approved resource consent
3
151 Willis St concept tower[ 35]
134 m (440 ft)
32
Mixed-use
Demolished
Name
Height
Floors
Built
Purpose
Notes
Revera House
50 m (164 ft)
10
1990[ 36]
Office
Formerly AT&T Tower and Hitachi House. Demolished 2018[ 37] following damage due to the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake .[ 38]
61 Molesworth St
37 m (121 ft)
10
1965
Office
Formerly ICI House. Demolished 2016-2017[ 39] [ 40] following damage due to the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. To be replaced with a new 11/12-storey office building.[ 41] [ 42]
Cancelled
Name
Height*
Floors*
Notes
NZ1
263 m (863 ft)
63
A high rise commercial and mixed use building proposed for Lambton Quay. Project was scrapped after the developer went bankrupt. If completed, the building would have been New Zealand's tallest.[ 43] [ 44]
Lambton Tower
≈120 metres (394 ft)
31
Proposed in 1991 for the Wellington Waterfront.[ 45]
Wakefield Central
≈75 metres (246 ft)
20
Proposed in 1986 by Chase Corporation on the site now occupied by Courtenay Central .[ 46] [ 47] [ 48]
History of the Tallest buildings in Wellington
Name
Height
Years Tallest
Other Facts
MLC Building
45 m (148 ft)
1939-1961
9 stories high. Was arguably the tallest in NZ when built
Shell House
46 m (151 ft)
1961-1966
Tallest office building in NZ when built.[ 49]
Vogel Building
66 m (217 ft)
1966-1968
Was the 2nd tallest in NZ when built
Aurora Centre
68 m (223 ft)
1968-1969
Was the 2nd tallest in NZ when built
Morrison Kent House
76 m (249 ft)
1969-1975
Was the 2nd tallest in NZ (to 1 Queen Street, Auckland) when built
Plimmer Towers
85 m (279 ft)
1975-1984
Was the tallest in NZ when built, is 106m and 31 floors from the Lambton Quay side of the tower
AON Centre
103 m (338 ft)
1984-1991
Was the tallest in NZ when built and is one of Wellington's most iconic buildings
Majestic Centre
116 m (381 ft)
1991–Present
Is the furthest South Skyscraper in the world. Was the tallest in New Zealand when built until the ANZ Centre opened in Auckland a few months later.
See also
References
External links
Lists of tallest buildings in New Zealand
City