18 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Te Ara Whetu & Naylor Love T T Virginia Wright New Waikanae library hub taking shape Construction is progressing on time and on budget with the handover in December well on track. The Kapiti Coast District Council led construction of the new library in Waikanae, Te Ara Whetu, is now well underway and expected to be open by Christmas 2026. The building which housed the old library had the sort of systemic issues typical of buildings from the 1970s. Originally built as a post office it was the local library from 1996 until it closed in 2018. The new building is taking shape with all the demolition done, seismic strengthening of the sheer walls completed to bring it up to 100% of the new standards, and the necessary services connected. “Naylor Love has done a really good job working with the local businesses in Mahara Place to minimise the disruption to the shops and cafés,” says Mike Richardson from the Kapiti Coast District Council’s Project Management office. He’s part of the delivery team for the new library and has been involved since the Council made the considered decision to refurbish and extend the existing building in Mahara Place rather than build new. Considerable time and careful thought went into the design for the new library taking modern best practice for library hubs into account. As well as a comprehensive collection of books for people to access, the new internal design makes maximum use of the space available for a variety of purposes with the wider community in mind. “The old library dedicated most of its space to one use which was for people to come in, read a book or get a book out, and leave. With Te Ara Whetu people will still be able to do that but now there’s so much more with so many flexible spaces for people to make use of,” says Mike. The addition of a second floor allowed for the inclusion of a dedicated modern conference area, something that Waikanae hasn’t had previously. A multi-purpose room can be divided into two separate areas can be used for anything from a yoga class to an all-day seminar or a corporate board meeting. The new first floor houses the bulk of the library’s book collection: fiction, non-fiction, large print and the Māori section as well as a traditional boardroom which can be booked out by community groups whether it’s for the weekly knitting club or the local hockey club’s AGM. When not booked it’s available to anyone, a useful space for younger people collaborating on school projects for example. Next door a smaller meeting room with modern audio-visual technology gives people the means to take part in remote meetings, conference calls, or an online interview regardless of what level of connectivity they have at home. “Then there’s the community lounge, with comfortable sofas and tables and chairs, with a view looking down over Mahara Place where people can sit and read or work together as a group,” says Mike. The ground floor houses the rest of the collection including the children’s section and has one more meeting room. “It’s modelled on the Makerspace at the library in Paraparaumu with a vinyl floor so it’s ready for workshops and classes in anything from computer literacy for senior citizens to sewing or art classes for anyone who’s interested,” Mike adds. The external façade combines glass and brick in a cost-effective way to allow plenty of natural light inside while offering a beautiful modern design on the outside, Mike says. “It’s really clever. Some of the bricks are stepped out by about 10mms which creates a pattern designed by local Māori artist Tracey Morgan which talks to Te Ara Whetu and the building narrative that we’ve been gifted.” Construction is progressing on time and on budget with the handover in December well on track. With the design making the most of all the available space the libraries team is looking forward to activating all the opportunities this warm and welcoming new library hub offers to the growing Waikanae community and the wider Kapiti Coast. Proud to provide plumbing and gas tting expertise on the TeAraWhetu&Naylor Love Project Hutt Gas and Plumbing has been servingWellington homes and businesses for over 30 years. We pride ourselves on providing high quality plumbing services backed by great customer service. To nd out more visit our website: www.huttgas.co.nz Proudly supporting Te Ara Whetu & Naylor Love www.hansens.co.nz 55 Bennett Street | Palmerston North Phone: 06 354 4181 Email: admin@hansens.co.nz Proud to support Te Ara Whetu & Naylor Love
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