A message from the KCDC:
The project to build a new or upgraded library and service centre in Waikanae has entered a new phase.
Building on what we’ve already heard from our community, our next step is to determine the best location for the new library and service centre within Mahara Place and the types of functions the facility will provide. We’re also investigating the opportunities developing a new facility might offer to revitalise the Waikanae Town Centre.
We aim to start the design process later this year and all going well, construction could begin in late 2023.
Visit our website for more information and to find out how you can be involved. — Link
It sounds encouraging, but what the Council doesn’t mention is that a focus group convened by a council-appointed architect was established in early 2020 to do just this. WCB representatives were James Westbury and Margaret Stevenson-Wright, and there were 3 or 4 others from the town. It seems like this was simply intended as a delaying tactic to make it seem like something was happening when it wasn’t. We wonder how the members of the group feel about that?
I represented the Waikanae Community Board on an earlier Project Advisory Group (PAG) to consider the size and scope of community services and optimum location for a new Waikanae Library. I attended 5 PAG meetings between February and August 2020- each one expertly facilitated by Michelle Parnell and/or Ian Littleworth with technical input from Becca. Representation present included the Marae, local business and Destination Waikanae. Elements factored into discussion included proximity to the marae and public transport, complementary services and space that the new library should include, pedestrian flow through and the planned changes on old State HIghway One. These discussions produced clear prioritisation of preferred locations plus the range of desired services. When the PAG meetings went into remission, Ian Littleworth was managing valuable ‘age cohort’ based research around the facilities and services required.