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Statement of Significance

The historic significance of this building is manifest. It was Wellington's, and New Zealand's, first major radio transmitter and carried the signal of the capital's longest running station 2YA, later part of the National Programme network of Radio New Zealand. The building has been used by a variety of stations over the years and it remains in use for its original purpose today. It has played a vital technical role in the dissemination of news, information and entertainment throughout the country, and is an integral part of the infrastructure of one of the most important media of communication of the 20th century. Its social value is therefore very high.

Despite its utilitarian purpose, the building occupies an exceptional site on top of Mt Victoria and is visible as a landmark on the skyline from many parts of the city. Its castle-like form and distinctive silhouette of battlements make the building architecturally worthy of its great prominence, a symbol of the capital city almost on a par with St Gerard's Monastery on the lower slopes of Mt Victoria. These architectural and townscape qualities give the Transmitter Building significant aesthetic values.

History

New Zealand's first radio broadcast, in November 1921, was made by Professor Jack, of Otago University. Most early broadcasting was in the hands of amateurs and government involvement was originally confined to regulation, of both technical aspects and content.

The Christchurch-based Radio Broadcasting Company was formed in 1925. A private company, it was contracted by the Reform Government to extend radio service and, in turn, provide the government with some measure of control over content. The RBC initially established transmitters in Auckland and Christchurch, each with a capacity of 500 watts, but it was then decided to provide Wellington with something much more substantial.

A new 5000 watt station, said to be "the second most powerful in the British Empire", was planned for Mt Victoria

A transmitting station and twin steel aerial towers were built on Alexandra Road and they quickly became a symbol of the new medium. The designer listed on the building plans was A.R. Harris and Co., of whom little is known. At the same time, new studios were built in the Wellesley Club on Maginnity Street. The opening of the station, 2YA, by Prime Minister J.G. Coates on 9 July, 1927, also included the commissioning of the new transmitter.

Within 18 months the number of registered listeners increased over eight fold from 3,600 to 30,000. On the back of its success the RBC sought assurances that the Government would continue to renew its contract but, in 1931, the company was taken over by the Government. The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation was born. By 1940 the Labour Government had almost complete control over radio broadcasting. It would be several decades before private commercial radio began again in earnest and broke a near state monopoly.

2YA's use of the building was followed by more stations: 2ZB (in 1937), 2YD (later 2ZM) and 2YC, as well as early TV broadcasting from mid-1961 to 1966. The building remains in use for radio broadcasting and the single transmitter aerial tower is one of the city's most prominent features, especially at night.

Description

The former 2YA transmitter building is one of Wellington's most prominent landmark structures. It is sited in a dip in the ridge that forms the top of Mt Victoria, and is visible from many parts of the city to the west, and Evans Bay and Miramar Peninsular to the east. It was originally framed by two 51 metre high transmitting towers, one sited on the rise to the north and one to the south. The northern one was demolished c.1990.

The building itself is utilitarian, with foundations, walls, floor and roof of in-situ reinforced concrete. Windows are steel framed. It is rectangular in plan, with the entrance on the east side. The original layout consisted of a central hall with four main spaces for an office, transmitter, power plant and workshop. While the original drawings show one floor, the building now has a small two storey tower on the west side. Different window joinery confirms that the tower is an addition.

While the function of the building was the main determinant of its design, the location clearly dictated the need for something more than plain utility. For this reason, the parapet walls are treated as battlements on all sides, giving the illusion of a small defendable castle. They give the building an interesting silhouette, although its function is still clearly indicated by the plethora of antennae that sprout from the tower, and the dishes that hang out from the walls. The design is possibly that of "draughtsman" D. Hall, ANZIA, who signed the original drawings. While the technical value of the building is not great, as it is ordinary concrete construction for the time, there is possibly interest from a broadcasting technology point of view in the original layout of the facilities and remaining evidence of the early installation.