Awapuni Community Library Hub proposal

We're proposing to build a new Awapuni Community Library Hub, which includes expanded community space within a new library. 

We lease our current Awapuni Library and it is far too small for what will soon be the suburb with the highest population in our city. This past year we’ve also had to shut it for vital repairs, due to the age of the building.

Our libraries are very well used, with 5.4 visits per capita, compared to the Australasian standard of 4.5. Our suburban libraries have higher visitor numbers than the Central Library, due to them being homes for community meetings and connection points in neighbourhoods.

We’re proposing ending that lease and building a new facility across the road on the site of St Mark’s Church (the Church is in favour of this). The 1,500sqm building would be home to a library and community facility that could free up space at the Awapuni Community Centre. 

This ‘community library hub’ model is similar to what other cities have created to bring communities together into a shared space. The project provides us with an opportunity to create a sustainable, agile, and future-proofed site that can establish a focal point in the Awapuni community and continue to grow with us in the future. It can include things like meeting spaces and a community kitchen.

The Awapuni hub would also be built to high building standards so it could be a welfare centre if needed in a civil defence emergency.

We’re proposing to start building in Year 2. Building early means that when seismic repairs take place at our Central Library, we would have a large library available for our community. We’d still have a temporary option in the city centre though, as we know how important the foot traffic of people using the library is for businesses in our city centre.

The total cost of the proposed Awapuni Community Library Hub, including land purchase is $29.1M. 

Check out the options and have your say