The Guardian – a residential and commercial community in a downtown Auckland heritage building

Title slideshow images of note: The Winklemann Collection hertiage photographs; Ministry archive showing ground floor terrazzo pattern layout; Apartment Specialists’ depiction of upward view of grand staircase and ceiling detail

About Us

We are a residential and retail mixed-use community housed in a category-one heritage building in the heart of Auckland’s downtown area. Our building comprises apartments from studios to penthouses and everything in between and we all share our beloved 1918 building that once stood proudly as Auckland’s tallest skyscraper for the New Zealand Insurance Company Limited.

Originally also home of the Auckland Stock Exchange the building is now simply known as The Guardian after many years serving as the offices of The Guardian Trust after the New Zealand Insurance Company era. We are a strong community and home to a diverse residential group of resident owners and renters and our group of friendly retailers.

The building is administered as a body corporate and managed by BCA Limited. For more information please contact the resident building manager or make use of the links and information below.

Building Manager: 105 Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
manager@theguardian.org.nz
0276 77 1974

Images left to right: the clock from our 1918 Kairuru marble facade by Hoggard, Gummer & Prouse; the Matariki archway by artist Graham Tipene, Ataahua Papa and Angus Muir Design and Auckland Council city centre place activation (image: Our Auckland); and the busy retail scene on a typical weekday (image: Bayleys).

Our History

Built in 1918 as the New Zealand Insurance Company headquarters, the current building replaced its smaller predecessor which had dated from the 1870s. Originally housing commercial offices, the Auckland Stock Exchange, and the NZI Company’s administration, the only housing in the building was the caretaker’s flat on the Mills Lane side of the eighth floor, which largely remains today. Designed by architects Hoggard, Prouse and Gummer, the building reflects the stripped classical style, simplifying post-WWI classical design elements, resulting in a more modern appearance. Notably, a Corinthian column-adorned portico offers a grand entrance.

1982, it became The Guardian Trust after merging with another company, gaining a more comprehensive eighth floor. The Queen Street facade features Nelson Kairuru marble, while many original features, including the terrazzo floor and grand marble and oak staircase, remain. Repurposed into residential apartments in 2003, The Guardian holds category-one heritage status on the New Zealand Heritage List, noted in the Auckland Unitary Plan.

Once New Zealand’s tallest building, it sits at the original shoreline, where the Waitematā met Queen Street’s gully, Wai Horotiu, before land reclamation in the 1840s. Today, The Guardian is a cherished Auckland icon.

Image: the Winklemann Collection, Auckland Council Libraries

Information

Please see detailed information for your specific needs by the categories listed below. (More coming soon)

For Residents

This section contains information for all residents, both owners and tenants, from a list of recommended tradespeople to renovation procedures and house rules. (More to be added soon)

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For Retailers

More information specific to our retailers is available in this section. (Coming soon)

For Contractors

If you are a contractor and wish to do work in The Guardian at the request of an owner or management please see this section. (Coming soon)

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For Short Term Guests

Staying in the building just a short time? Please see this link for all the information you need.

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For Agents and Property Managers

Are you a property manager or real estate agent working on behalf of an owner in The Guardian? Please see this section. (Coming soon)

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For Community

Explore this section to find out about what is in The Guardian neighbourhood. (Coming soon)

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Heritage Architecture

A few brief details about our site in the Queen Street Waihotiu Valley

Previous shoreline

The site of The Guardian at 105 Queen Street is just on the line of the old foreshore of Auckland before the land reclamation started in the 1840s. It was the point where the Waihorotiu valley met the Waitematā Harbour.

Hoggard, Gummer and Prouse

Architecture firm Hoggard, Gummer and Prouse were engaged to design the building we know today as The Guardian. They came with noteworthy credentials and impressive connections, including noted English architect Edwin Lutyens.

Stock Exchange, banking hall and offices

The current spaces that house PB Tech and the second floor apartments were once home to great open banking halls and the Auckland Stock Exchange, for which adjacent Exchange Lane is named.

Earlier buildings on the site

The NZI Company had occupied a smaller building here from the 1870s that was demolished during WWI to make way for the eight-storeyed building we know today.

Monumental statements

The entrance portico was built using Corinthian Order columns and was designed to portray solidity and wealth — just the image the NZI Company wanted to portray to its clients.

Heritage neighbours

The Guardian is part of a wider city neighbourhood of older buildings of all ages and styles and is part of a re-awakening and acknowledgement of this built heritage.

Double Heritage Listed

The Guardian is both scheduled in the Auckland Unitary Plan and is listed as a category one heritage place on the New Zealand Heritage List.

Being listed as a heritage building in New Zealand is a recognition of the historical, cultural, and architectural significance that a structure holds. It gives a building special status to protect and celebrate its unique story and contribution to our shared heritage. The Guardian is the earliest remaining high-rise block in Auckland and stands as a solid example of Stripped Classical design. It was modelled on commercial buildings in The United States, particularly Chicago. The style adapted nineteenth-century architecture into twentienth century requirements.

Heritage buildings are like living time capsules that connect us to the past. They tell the stories of the people who built them, the communities that used them and the times in which they were constructed. They are a tangible link to our history and a source of pride for residents, visitors and community alike.