Auckland was New Zealand's second capital from 1841 until 1865, when Parliament was permanently moved to Wellington after an argument that lasted for a decade.

[2] On 18 January 1854, Parliament was first summoned to meet in Auckland on 24 May of that year, i.e. on Queen Victoria's birthday.

Reader Wood, who was deputy surveyor-general, was tasked with designing a suitable meeting house that could be used by the survey department during the parliamentary recess.

[7] The first meeting of parliamentarians was held on 24 May, followed by a levee of Colonel Robert Wynyard, the administrator of the government.

Charles Clifford found unanimous support and Wynyard as acting governor formally opened Parliament on Saturday, 27 May 1854.

Rather than again adjourn its business, the provincial council decided to meet, from the following week, in the library room attached to the General Assembly House.

[3][20] In 1883, the building additions that initially housed Auckland's district (or magistrates) court were made available to the newly established Auckland University College, and laboratories and lecture rooms for the chemistry department were established here.

The former Bellamy's (parliamentary refreshment room, i.e. a club where liquor could be purchased[23]) in an adjacent building became the office of the college chairman.

[22] The Mayor of Auckland City, James Gunson, held a civic reception in the buildings on 15 November 1917 to mark the historic significance just prior to demolition.

[27] Henry Sewell, New Zealand's first premier after responsible government had been granted in 1856, described the meeting chamber of the House of Representatives and the building in general as follows:[28] The Room of moderate size—plain and with no architectural pretension whatever.

The whole building is of the most undecorated style—a great wooden barnshaped affair, which might serve for a Hospital, a Jail, or a Barrack—or if gutted be turned into a Methodist Meeting house—very incommodiously arranged, and the first thing we have to do is to turn all the interior arrangements topsy turvy.It is believed that the original building measured 65 by 20 feet (19.8 by 6.1 m).