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Payphone Story – Global History of Payphones and Phone Booths

001 North American Payphones
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030 European Payphones
044 British Payphones and Booths
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061 Australasian Payphones
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New Zealand phonebooth- Octagonal Kiosk

The Octagonal Kiosk was one of New Zealand’s earliest and most distinctive public telephone booths, probably introduced around 1911, shortly after the country’s first public payphones appeared. Constructed from timber, the kiosk featured an eight-sided design with glazed panels, a segmented corrugated metal roof and a circular roof ventilator.

Name	Octagonal Kiosk
Date	c. 1911 – 1920
Manufacturer	NZ PO

NZ Payphonebooth- Octagonal Kiosk

The Octagonal Kiosk was one of New Zealand’s earliest and most distinctive public telephone booths, probably introduced around 1911, shortly after the country’s first public payphones appeared. Constructed from timber, the kiosk featured an eight-sided design with glazed panels, a segmented corrugated metal roof and a circular roof ventilator. A brass door handle and hinges reflected the high standard of craftsmanship typical of early Post Office infrastructure. Early examples were likely painted brown before the familiar red body and green roof became the standard colour scheme.

These kiosks were built locally by private contractors and in Post Office workshops, serving towns and cities throughout New Zealand during the 1910s and early 1920s. By 1926, the Post Office operated 409 public telephone kiosks nationwide and began replacing timber structures with more durable alternatives.

A number of original octagonal kiosks survived and they are well regarded as important historical objects. Preserved examples can be seen at Ferrymead Heritage Park in Christchurch and Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin.