Government House, Daga Roa

Government House
Government House seen from the street, 2012
General information
Address	14 King Edward Street, Daga Roa
Current tenants	Dara Niuꞌa, Prime Minister
Completed	1864
Owner	Government of Naua Roa
Website
governmenthouse.gov.pi

Government House is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Naua Roa. The building was built in 1864 to serve as the home of the Estmerish Resident in the Protecterate of the Three Patricks. The house is now the home of the Prime Minister, despite not being in Naua Roa's capital.

History

Government House was completed in 1864 as the official residence of the Resident in the Three Patricks, an Estmerish Protectorate. In 1892, the islands were officially annexed by Estmere and a Governor was appointed, who replaced the position of Resident and so moved into Government House. Daga Roa remained the capital of the Colony until 1921; when the islands were transferred to the Dominion of Satavia for administrative purposes.

Despite Daga Roa no longer being the capital, Government House continued to be used by the Governor of the islands until they were unilaterally annexed by Satavia following the Proclomation of the Union, which severed any remaining ties with Estmere. The islands would be a dependency of Satavia until 1939, with an appointed Minister in charge who did not live on the islands - the building lay unused for three years. In 1939, following the February coup, the islands achieved Province Status with its own Premier and Parliament. The Premier of the Patricks Province would be resident in Government House, but in 1976 the Republic was abolished and the Patrick Islands lost province status.

The house lay empty for thirteen years, from 1976 until 1989. During this time, it was broken into at least seven times and whole sections of the building were collapsing. Initial plans to demolish the building were strongly opposed by the local community, and a 3.5 Million Satavian Guilder restoration project began, mainly funded by the Government of Satavia and from donations. The restoration project was completed in early 1991 and has been used as the primary residence of the Prime Minister ever since.

Parts of the building were opened up to the public in 1997, but the private quarters of the Eastern section of the house remain closed off, in addition to the Cabinet Room.

Description

Grounds

Government House has a garden at the back of the House, which has a swimming pool (installed during the 1989-91 restoration). Government House backs onto Kirk National Park, which is the largest National Park in the Patrick Islands and runs up to Government House, which is located on the outskirts of the modern-day boundaries of Daga Roa. From Government House, the Ahu Rarariki can be seen, which is the largest collection of Moai on a single Ahu, numbering fifteen in all.

Private Quarters

The entirety of the Eastern side of the building is closed off to the public and are the private quarters of the Prime Minister and his or her family. There are four bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, drawing room and a conservatory.

Western portion

The Western portion of the building is open to the public, and has multiple lounges, one bedroom and a second dining room, in addition to the cabinet office, which is shut off to the public. Entry is free, and various paintings and busts that are owned by the Government are displayed in the dining room and lounges.

Cabinet Room

The Cabinet Room in Government House is located in the Western portion of the building and is closed off to the public. The Cabinet of Naua Roa meet in the room when the Prime Minister calls a meeting, although more commonly meetings occur in the Government Room of the High Council Building in Patrick's Town as it is more convenient.

See Also

Government House, Port Hope