Level 2: Bethune & Hunter’s Exchange

In the heart of early colonial Wellington stood a modest wooden building with an outsize influence—Bethune & Hunter’s Exchange. Built in the 1840s, it served as a nexus of trade, civic action, and rumor.

Early History of the Exchange Building: Established by George Hunter and Kenneth Bethune, it housed the city’s first Custom House and hosted the inaugural meetings of St Mark’s Church. Over time, it became hemmed in by warehouses, shrinking in scale but growing in symbolic importance.

Commercial and Civic Role: The Exchange doubled as a de facto town hall for business elites. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce met here to debate policy and shape economic reforms. Land title systems, banking policy, and shipping oversight were all born in these rooms.

Rumors of Elite Meetings: Over the years, whispers arose. Some believed the upper rooms hosted exclusive gatherings or even ritualistic practices. Whether grounded in fact or fiction, these rumors contributed to the building’s mystique.

Demolition in 1958: Despite public outcry, the building was demolished to make way for a parking structure. This event galvanized New Zealand’s heritage movement, highlighting the fragility of historical memory.

The “Rupture in Memory” Theory: THE CARPARK project speculates the replacement wasn’t just physical—it was symbolic. The new carpark erased historical consciousness, covering a powerful site of memory with blank urban utility. Watchers, both institutional and spiritual, may still guard the site.

This level invites you to ponder what was lost, and what might still linger beneath concrete and time.