Architecture of New Zealand
New Zealand's earliest architecture arrived with the Polynesian Maori who settled the islands about 1,000 years ago. These people primarily built with wood and constructed little more than housing. Due to the material, few structures remain in this style and those that do are modern reconstructions.
With the arrival of the British and other Europeans, more permanent structures were built in New Zealand. Most of the buildings that were built were constructed in the same styles popular in Britain at the time. This included Georgian and Victorian buildings as well as numerous revival styles from the late 1700s to about 1900.
Many of the early settlements, including Auckland and Wellington were built in these styles. The Georgian style developed from the Baroque style popular in Europe in the 1600-1700s, but was also heavily influenced by Neo-Classicism. This style could easily be used for the design of numerous buildings from civic buildings to homes, so was widely used in New Zealand. Victorian buildings came a little later, beginning in about 1840, but are more represented by the time period of their construction rather than their design elements, although a few defining features did develop.