Wellington Becomes the Capital of New Zealand

On the 26th July, 1865 the NZ Parliament moved from Auckland to Wellington. The opening of Parliament on this date also established the city as the new capital of the country.

The move came after a recommendation from a neutral Australian commission decided that Auckland was too far away for South Island members (at the time they would have travelled by ship). Whanganui, Picton and Nelson were among the cities up for consideration.