Thorndon, New Zealand

Molesworth Street is located at the north end of the central business district of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Leading from the northern end of Lambton Quay, central Wellington's main street, it is a northbound one-way street linking the CBD with Tinakori Road, and through it, with main routes north out of the city. The street was named for Sir William Molesworth, 8th Baronet, a prominent member of the New Zealand Company. There is another Molesworth Street in the Wellington metropolitan area, located in the Lower Hutt suburb of Taitā. Many of New Zealand's main governmental and archival institutions are located on Molesworth Street, most notably New Zealand Parliament Buildings, which are located at the street's southern end. The iconic Beehive is a major landmark close to the street's junction with Lambton Quay and Bowen Street. The New Zealand High Court is also located at the southern end of the building, directly opposite Parliament Buildings. Other prominent buildings on or near Molesworth Street include the Court of Appeal, St Paul's Cathedral (Anglican) and the National Library of New Zealand, which also holds Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Molesworth Street was also the site of New Zealand's first national cenotaph (this was later moved to the National War Memorial on Buckle Street, 2000 metres to the south). As the centre of political activity in New Zealand, Molesworth Street has been the site of many important events in New Zealand's history, including a large number of political protests. Prominent among these protests were those against the 1981 South African rugby tour, where on 29 July 1981, for the first time in New Zealand, police batoned political protesters.

The Ministry of Education (Māori: Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with overseeing the New Zealand education system. The Ministry was formed in 1989 when the former, all-encompassing Department of Education was broken up into six separate agencies.

The Wellington Cathedral of St Paul (also called St Paul's Cathedral or Wellington Cathedral) is an Anglican church in the city of Wellington, New Zealand. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Wellington and the cathedral of the Bishop of Wellington. Situated in Thorndon, the main entrance to the cathedral is on Hill Street, at its junction with Molesworth Street; it is located close to the parliament precinct. The building was designed in the 1930s by New Zealand architect Cecil Wood. Construction began in 1954, and was completed in 1998. It was constructed in reinforced concrete due to the effects of the 1931 Napier earthquake making other choices impractical. The church was initially envisioned as a war memorial cathedral, and it was designed on a monumental scale. Archbishop of New Zealand Reginald Herbert Owen declared in 1958: "Every nation needs in its capital city a great church to express its belief in the things of the spirit". The building began to be used as an Anglican cathedral in 1964 (replacing Old St Paul's), and was consecrated in 2001.

The New Zealand Police (Māori: Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintaining public order. With about 13,000 personnel, it is the largest law enforcement agency in New Zealand and, with few exceptions, has primary jurisdiction over the majority of New Zealand criminal law. The New Zealand Police also has responsibility for traffic and commercial vehicle enforcement as well as other key responsibilities including protection of dignitaries, firearms licensing, and matters of national security. Policing in New Zealand was introduced in 1840, modelled on similar constabularies that existed in Britain at that time. The constabulary was initially part police and part militia. By the end of the 19th century policing by consent was the goal. The New Zealand Police has generally enjoyed a reputation for mild policing, but there have been cases when the use of force was criticised, such as during the 1981 Springbok tour. The current Minister of Police is Stuart Nash. While the New Zealand Police is a government department with a minister responsible for it, the Commissioner and sworn members swear allegiance directly to the Sovereign and, by convention, have constabulary independence from the government of the day. The New Zealand Police is perceived to have a minimal level of institutional corruption.

The Royal Society Te Apārangi (in full, Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi) is an independent, statutory not-for-profit body in New Zealand providing funding and policy advice in the fields of sciences and the humanities.

The Diocese of Wellington is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The diocese covers the area between the bottom of the North Island of New Zealand up to the area of Mount Ruapehu. There are over 90 parishes and mission districts within the diocese of Wellington. The diocese's first bishop, Charles Abraham, was consecrated in 1858. The seat of the Bishop of Wellington is at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. An attempt was made in the 21st General Synod (1919) to make the Bishop of Wellington ex officio Primate and Metropolitan; this failed in the 22nd Synod (1922).The Archbishop David Moxon announced on 29 April 2012 that Justin Duckworth had been elected as the 11th Bishop of Wellington. Duckworth was installed as the 11th. Bishop of Wellington in the afternoon of 30 June 2012 in an enthronement service. The diocese celebrated its sesquicentenary in 2008; the celebrations included pilgrimages throughout the diocese. Old St Paul's, the second Church of St Paul in Wellington, which was the pro-cathedral church for the Anglican Diocese of Wellington from 1866 to 1964 is still consecrated, but is now owned by Heritage New Zealand (formerly the New Zealand Historic Places Trust). The first parish church for the early settlers, dedicated to St Paul, was behind where the Beehive stands today: a replica stands at the Bolton Street entrance to an early cemetery for Wellington, alongside the original sextons cottage. The current Wellington Cathedral church for the Diocese was dedicated, partially completed, in the name of St Paul in 1964. Completion was in stages and in 2001 it was consecrated.

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu or Te Kura (formerly The Correspondence School) is New Zealand's largest school with around 25,000 students enrolled each year, from early childhood to secondary level. It is headquartered in Portland Crescent in Thorndon, Wellington. In addition to its ordinary full-time students, Te Kura provides programmes to students at other state-owned schools where a subject is unavailable, and to adults. Te Kura is Ministry of Education funded.

Thorndon School is a New Zealand primary and intermediate school located in the suburb of Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand. It was first established on 5 April 1852 as St Paul's School in Sydney Street. After initial success, the school's reputation declined until William Mowbray took over as headmaster in 1859. He broadened the curriculum to an extent that his methods were copied by other Wellington schools. In 1873, the school was taken over by the education board of the Wellington Province, and Mowbray was kept on as headmaster. Around that time, the name was changed to Thorndon School, and it moved to a new site in 1880. Mowbray retired in 1902 after 43 as headmaster.Since then the school and the district have been through many changes. In the early part of last century Thorndon was the largest school in the city, and housed the Teachers Training College for a while. By the early 1990s the roll was down to under 100 but over the past 10 or 12 years the school has grown, in percentage terms, more than almost any other school in the Wellington area and the roll is now over 300. During the year 2000 two new classrooms were built as well as a new administration area. In the year 2002 the Board of Trustees introduced an enrolment scheme to manage the roll. During 2003 the school library was extended and refurbished and in 2004/2005 another new classroom was added while a number of older rooms were refurbished. At the beginning of 2012 the Kimi Ora site was incorporated into Thorndon School and given the name: Ata Kimi Ora. In term 2 of 2012 the 'Noddy House', block D, was modified to become a classroom. In spite of its small foot print the school enjoys good facilities, with two grassed playing fields and a sealed netball/basketball court. During the summer the children swim at Thorndon Pool. In 1992 the Board of Trustees had an Adventure Playground built with locally raised funds and this has further enhanced the facilities. This was re-developed in 2006 and further work was undertaken in 2007. In 1999 a hall was donated to the school and moved onto its field. While this reduced the grassed area, the benefits of having a hall outweighed the negatives. In 2005 a kitchen and toilets were added. The hall was reroofed in 2010 with assistance from The Wellington City Council Heritage Fund. This hall, the Old St Paul's Schoolroom, has some historic links with the school, having been moved here from the original school site in Kate Shepherd Place . It is also, reputedly, the setting for the Katherine Mansfield short story, “Her First Ball”. The school buildings and playground were rebuilt/modernised in 2020/2021. As of 2022 the principal is Aroha Hohepa. Notable alumni include judge Michael Myers.

The Embassy of the United States in Wellington is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in New Zealand. The United States had consular representation in Wellington from 1868 and since 1922, the consul-general relocated from Auckland to the country's capital, Wellington. The United States recognized New Zealand's independent status in 1942 and in the same year, a legation was established in Wellington. In 1948, the transition from legation to embassy occurred. After leasing various offices for decades, the United States had a purpose-built embassy established in Thorndon in 1977; this remains the current embassy building.

St Mary's College Wellington is situated in the suburb of Thorndon in Wellington, New Zealand. The school is a state-integrated all-girls Catholic secondary school for years 9–13.

St Mary's Cathedral was a former Roman Catholic cathedral church located in Wellington, New Zealand. Completed in 1851, the cathedral served as the mother church for the Archdiocese of Wellington and the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Wellington until the building was destroyed by fire in 1898. When the building reached its final form in 1867, St Mary's Cathedral was considered one of the finest, if not the finest, ecclesiastical structure in the colony. It was an important landmark in Wellington and its situation on Golder's Hill in Thorndon meant that it could be seen from many parts of the city and from points around the Wellington Harbour. Its beautiful, gilded statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, high up on the tower, and the gilded crosses on its parapets, gables and tower were particularly admired features.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother, better known as Sacred Heart Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral on Hill Street, Wellington, New Zealand. It is the parish church of the Thorndon Catholic parish (founded 1850) and the cathedral of the Archbishop of Wellington. The New Zealand Parliament is a close neighbour of the cathedral. However, the Thorndon Catholic parish predates that institution. The cathedral is part of a Catholic precinct which includes St Mary's College; Sacred Heart Cathedral School; St Mary's Convent, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Mercy in Wellington; the Catholic Centre, in which Catholic administration is located; and Viard House, which is both the cathedral parish presbytery and the residence of the archbishop. The church was popularly known as "the Basilica", because of its palladian architectural style. It was designated as the cathedral of Wellington in 1984 after earthquake strengthening and the addition of the Blessed Sacrament chapel, foyer, sacristy, courtyard, hall (called Connolly Hall) and piazza. The parish of Thorndon was administered by the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) for eighty-five years until 1935, although secular or diocesan clergy were also stationed there. The founder of the see, Bishop Viard, and the first two archbishops, Redwood and O'Shea, were also members of the Society of Mary. Since 1954 all the archbishops and the resident clergy of the cathedral have been secular clergy.Thorndon has always been the residence of the archbishops of Wellington except for the period 1935–1954 when Archbishop O'Shea continued to live at Paterson St, Mt Victoria which was his address as coadjutor.On 13 July 2018, the main cathedral building was closed for seismic strengthening, with services continuing in the cathedral chapel or at St Thomas Moore Church, Wilton. The strengthening of the cathedral is expected to be completed in 2023 to a high standard.