Massey Memorial

Massey Memorial
New Zealand
For William Massey
Unveiled	1930
Location	41°17′07″S 174°49′34″E near Wellington
Designed by	Samuel Hurst Seager in conjunction with Gummer and Ford

The Massey Memorial is the mausoleum of New Zealand Prime Minister William Massey. It is located on Point Halswell on the Miramar Peninsula, Wellington, New Zealand.

History

William Massey was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1912 to 1925, when he died in office. After his death parliament passed the Massey Burial-ground Act, which allocated 0.8 hectares of land for use as a burial ground for Massey and his widow, Christina Massey. The land on Point Halswell had been used for defence purposes during World War I and had lain unused since then. A fort on the site was converted into a crypt and a gun-pit lined with marble to serve as a vault. The rest of the memorial was completed in 1930 at a cost of £15,000, most of which was raised by public subscription.

Design

The memorial was designed by established memorial designer Samuel Hurst Seager in conjunction with Auckland architects Gummer and Ford. It is constructed from Kairuru marble with a base of Coromandel granite. The main feature is a semicircle of seven marble columns, with a marble walk leading to the entrance of the crypt. The memorial traces the design of the original fort on the site, with the dome in the centre of the memorial marking the position of a gun pit.

In 1984 it was registered as a Category I Historic Place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

Sources

• "Massey Memorial". Register of Historic Places. New Zealand Historic Places Trust. http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=222&m=advanced. Retrieved 2009-12-21.