4 | MCLStead: Napier Civic Precinct REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Napier’s golden era A major focus of the Trust in recent years has been the restoration of the city’s Women’s Rest, a WW1 memorial, erected opposite the cenotaph, in Memorial Square. T T from page 3 Napier Art Deco Trust New life for Napier City Centre T T Virginia Wright The multi-million-dollar Napier Civic Project known as Te Kete is designed to bring the heart back into Napier’s City Centre. It provides its residents with a community library hub, a new public meeting space that doubles as a Council Chamber, and a redeveloped office tower for all council administration staff, explains the Strategic Programmes Manager for Napier City Council, Darran Gillies. “It brings the delivery of key services back into the heart of the city, along with 300 council workers, for the first time since 2017, which is when the old buildings were deemed unsafe.” The old Council Chambers were demolished, and a new one will soon be under construction; the former Library Tower is being earthquake strengthened, refurbished and converted into a full office tower, while a new state-of-the-art library designed with community access in mind is being built right next to it. “We’ve worked in partnership with mana whenua to co-design the new library and its surroundings and cultural narratives were developed in partnership with them. The narratives are referenced in the architecture of all three buildings,” says Darran. The new library is a mass timber building which contributes to its five-star rating as it’s an eco-friendly building material made with multiple layers of laminated New Zealand grown radiata produced using renewable power. Its build, along with the others, is under the collaborative leadership of MCLStead Construction thanks to a conversation in 2022 between the Managing Directors of Stead Construction and MCL Construction, Jeremy Stead and Philip Mitchell. Their decision to collaborate for future jobs that might be too big for either company to take on individually led to their successful tender for the Civic Precinct Project in 2024, keeping the project in local hands thanks to their combined credibility, experience, skills and $2.6 billion worth of successfully delivered local projects. “We’ve a real passion for the communities of Hawke’s Bay and are excited about the opportunity Te Kete brings for partnering with Napier City Council and stakeholders to deliver a long-lasting asset for future generations,” says Phil Mitchell, Director of MCLStead. Working as a single team they’ve done the excavations for the new library foundations ready for the first major concrete pour of 110 cubic metres and completed removing the heavy concrete façade from the five-storey office tower ready for its new lightweight glass and aluminum replacement facade. All three of the buildings work to enhance community opportunities in the centre of town. The new library is full of spaces not just for books but designed to give community access to a range of activities from woodwork to digital recording. 300 council staff coming back into their refurbished office block promises a major increase in pedestrian traffic, and the new Council Chambers will be available to be used for community activities, from yoga to children’s birthday parties for the 70% of the time that it’s not needed by the council. It’s a project designed for locals being built by locals who are committed to using local sub-contractors whenever they can. In the heart of Napier, Te Kete is in safe hands as everyone works towards delivering this cornerstone of community connection and its environment designed to foster learning, creativity, civic participation and community connection for years to come. The Rest was designed by renowned New Zealand architect J A Louis Hay, who designed many new Art Deco buildings in Napier following the earthquake that had destroyed much of the town. “We like to think that while the cenotaph is a memorial to those who fell during WW1, the Women’s Rest is a memorial to the living.” Officially opened on ANZAC Day 1926 following the 1931 earthquake, temporary shops and offices were built around the Rest, with short term repairs made to the building itself. Hay’s design approach was influenced by the work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie Style, elements still visible in the building despite changes that were subsequently made. Originally designed in the shape of a crucifix, the building has a low profile, deep verandahs, bands of horizontal windows, a tiled roof and is constructed of solid brick. When seismic issues became evident, the Women’s Rest was closed in 2013, providing the opportunity and challenge for the Trust and its supporters to work on raising the necessary funds for a major restoration and eventual re-opening. “We started the conversation in 2022. It stemmed from talk within the Trust about sustainability and our role in advocating for the restoration of key buildings. Since the Women’s Rest had closed, it sat basically empty, so we approached Council suggesting we partner with them and begin fundraising and thinking about how the restoration would happen.” WYNANDS MASONRY2015 LTD PO Box 5135, Greenmeadows, Napier 4145 www.wynandsmasonry.com Main Office 021 450 732 P: 06 843 5773 F: 06 843 3945 E: wynandsmasonry@gmail.com · Bricklaying · Blocklaying · Stone Masonry · Tiling · Solid Plastering 15 Niven Street, Onekawa, NAPIER 215 Wilson Road, Woolwich, HASTINGS 06 280 5071 Proudly Supporting The Napier Civic Precinct Project Fortunately, some funding had been set aside by Council, giving impetus for the Trust to apply for grants to secure the project on the Category 1 Heritage Building owned by Council. “Work started in August 2024 and was completed by July 2025. The Trust moved in toward the end of July.” Part of the project involved demolishing additions made to the original building in the 1980’s which, Jeremy says, never sat well with the original design. “The way the restoration has happened is that we’ve essentially allowed the building to tell its own story. “A couple of pieces of the original coloured plaster have been left intact, along with the footings for walls demolished in the 1950’s.” As the anchor tenant, The Art Deco Trust, conducts its activities from the (former) Women’s Rest. “We’ve also been hosting a variety of community groups, AGMs, and networking events. Every day I receive enquiries from individuals and groups wishing to hire the two halls; it’s very exciting to see it come to life.” And there’s much to look forward to, Jeremy says. In particular Historic Places Aotearoa and ICOMOS NZ – the International Council on Monuments and Sites – will be using the (former) Women’s Rest for their joint conference and AGMs in early October. “We’re also currently planning our next big Art Deco Festival for February 2026. It’s always a wonderful event and celebration of what makes Napier so special.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=