The reclamation of Wellington Harbour started in the 1850s, in order to increase the amount of usable land for the then new City of Wellington. Land plots in the early city were scarce, with little room for public buildings and parks, as well as inadequate dockside areas for shipping. Reclamation progressively advanced into the harbour throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, providing room for public, commercial and industrial areas for the city. Large reclamations were made in the 1960s and '70s to meet the demands of container shipping and new cargo handling methods. For over 100 years, development was largely overseen by the Wellington Harbour Board, formed in 1880. Following the neoliberal reforms of the Fourth Labour Government, authority was transferred to the Wellington City Council