Dominion Observatory, Observatory in Botanic Gardens, Wellington, New Zealand.

The Dominion Observatory is a 1907 building in the Wellington Botanic Gardens, designed by architect John Campbell in the Edwardian Baroque style. It was the city's second observatory, built to replace the Colonial Observatory in Bolton Street Cemetery, and is listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Category 1 Historic Place.

Built in 1907 as the Hector Observatory, named after James Hector, it replaced the Colonial Observatory in Bolton Street Cemetery and kept that name until 1925. Its main work was maintaining New Zealand Mean Time, adopted by the government in 1868, through astronomical observation. Architect John Campbell designed it in the Edwardian Baroque style; it is a Heritage New Zealand Category 1 Historic Place.

The building's name changed from Hector Observatory to Dominion Observatory in 1925, dropping the reference to James Hector, who had directed the Colonial Observatory's work. Its Time Service kept New Zealand Mean Time, adopted by the government in 1868, by tracking stars rather than clocks. The 2003 refurbishment by the Department of Conservation turned the former instrument rooms over to private businesses.

The observatory stands in the Botanic Gardens, uphill from the city centre; the cable car from Lambton Quay stops near the gardens' upper entrance. The building was refurbished in 2003 for private businesses, so it is seen from the outside rather than entered. Allow time for the climb on foot.

The observatory was left vacant in 1993, then refurbished in 2003 by the Department of Conservation for use by private businesses. It is listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Category 1 Historic Place, and it was the second observatory built in Wellington, after the Colonial Observatory in Bolton Street Cemetery.