Rotorua library service delivers thousands of books to schools and housebound readers
Rotorua Lakes Council's Library to You service – previously the housebound delivery service and onsite outreach van selection service – has operated for more than 25
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RNZ News
10-08-2025
- RNZ News
Heritage-listed library's future threatened by funding cut
The rimu-panelled library is open for two hours, three times per week, as well as monthly Sunday afternoons. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon The future of Tai Tapu's heritage-listed library is in jeopardy because of a council funding cut. The distinctive red stone library was built next to St Paul's Anglican Church in Canterbury's Selwyn district in 1932 on land donated by politician and philanthropist Sir Heaton Rhodes, largely funded by the sale of daffodil bulbs by Otahuna Lodge's head gardener. Library committee members said they were hit by a "bombshell" Selwyn District Council letter last October, outlining plans to stop funding building and grounds maintenance and repairs from 30 June because it was "endeavouring to apply a more consistent approach across the externally owned facilities it supports". The letter left volunteers facing an annual bill of more than $13,000 to keep the library open. In the months that followed, committee members said they grew increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with council responses to their concerns, culminating in a letter to Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton in May. They told Broughton the building should not be classified as "externally owned", asserting the decision was made without consultation and an apparent disregard for the building's significance. "What seems to lie at the heart of the matter is the council policy decision that the library is an externally owned facility. Instead, it has always been a community library for the ratepayers of Tai Tapu and well supported by the council of the time," the letter said. "Council has suggested that the way ahead will depend on funding applications. That being the case, we do not see a future for the library especially regarding insurance and the maintenance of a Heritage New Zealand historic site." The rimu-panelled library is open for two hours, three times per week, as well as monthly Sunday afternoons. The category-one historic place is also a popular setting for wedding photographers and admired by visitors and tourists. The library is owned by an incorporated society established by Sir Heaton - Tai Tapu Library Incorporated - with a constitution that states ownership will be vested in the council if the society dissolves. The committee has just over $16,000 in special library funds available from the former Paparua County Council. Tai Tapu library chairperson Maurice Sinclair said he doubted volunteers would be able to win grants or fundraise for expenses like insurance and rates after the money ran out. "We would have to have someone spending quite a lot of time charging around talking to people and so on. We just haven't got those sort of people on our committee," he said. Broughton met committee members in June to discuss the library's future but declined to be interviewed by RNZ, saying it was an "operational" matter. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Selwyn Council head of operational delivery Gareth Morgan said the council could not continue funding a "privately-owned" building. "Tai Tapu library was a surprise to some people in council. Some ex-council officers made a decision in 2020 to fund the maintenance. There was a council restructure in 2022 that identified that this had been taking place and the instruction was to work with the library to cease that arrangement," he said. "We've had staff working with the library since 2022 and working with them closely in trying to step through a process of getting them to prepare for their future and to stand alone. We have worked with them and we're happy to continue to support them. "We recognise its heritage status, we recognise it's a fantastic building and we'll do what we can to support them to survive." The committee disputed Morgan's claims, saying council staff had not worked with the library to prepare for its future over the last three years, let alone closely. The council spent $13,500 on the library in the past financial year and had pledged to cover its insurance until June 2027, although discussions about a rates subsidy and future insurance cover were ongoing. The council said bulk book loans from Lincoln library would continue for the time being and the committee was encouraged to apply for community and lottery grants, heritage funding and make a long term plan submission. The council drafted an agreement to formalise arrangements with the library in 2017, although it was never signed. It stated that Tai Tapu library was an important community asset that needed ratepayer funding to ensure it was maintained in perpetuity and the council would fund "insurance and other associated outgoings". The committee said a 2019 memorandum of understanding expired without explanation in 2022 despite repeated requests for its renewal, with members instead assured existing arrangements would continue. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Sir Heaton and his wife Jessie donated money from bulb sales and flower show prize winnings to help fund the library after establishing the country's pre-eminent daffodil collection in the 1920s. According to Heritage New Zealand, then-Governor-General Charles Bathurst remarked at the library's opening: "I have never before heard of flowers being converted by realisation into a home for the flowers of literature - it is a most ingenious and delightful idea." In last October's "letter of intent", the council said it intended to transfer the library's special funds to the society so committee members could make their own financial decisions. "Going forward, we appreciate the heritage status of the building and its importance to the community and we will provide information to assist you with exploring alternative funding," the letter said. Otahuna Lodge. Photo: Christchurch City Libraries, CCL-Selwyn-P4231583 In correspondence that followed, the committee expressed scepticism about the council's approach and said any notion the library was owned by the people of Tai Tapu had no legal validity. "We see this as a 'one size fits all' policy which conveniently ignores the value of Tai Tapu library to the council," the letter said. "In our constitution, the council is named as the future owner should the incorporated society status come to an end. The home page for Selwyn Libraries lists Tai Tapu as a community library which may be accessed by all members of Selwyn Libraries. "With due respect, we request the opportunity for consultation on a policy which places the future of Tai Tapu library in jeopardy." In April the council offered to provide building and grounds maintenance, window cleaning, internet access and insurance until June 2027, although the money would come from the library's special funds - money the committee estimated would run out a year earlier. Springs ward councillor Grant Miller said it would be exceptionally sad if the library closed and urged the council to be pragmatic. "The community is ratepayers, that's who we are, so whether it's the Selwyn District Council's name on the title or whether it's the library [society], that's semantics. The reality is, it's a community asset. The council should be looking after it," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
22-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Rotorua charity plans ‘Adopt A Streetie' initiative to aid homeless
Love Soup's Julie King said the Adopt A Streetie idea had been on her mind for a while and was a natural progression from the Village of Hope. She said the streeties could be put into a home once they were ready. King said they used coming together to eat and prepare food as a way of finding those who genuinely wanted to change and improve their lives. The five people being housed in the village were now helping to prepare and cook the meals for other homeless at the weekend. Love Soup Rotorua's Julie King. Photo / Supplied Love Soup provides between 25 and 30 meals every Saturday and Sunday night, as well as giving food for others to do breakfasts in the morning. 'I know people don't want us feeding them but it is our way of bonding and coming together,' King said. They had heard of similar hosting projects overseas where those given free rent repaid the favour by offering to do jobs and chores. 'If we plan it right, it can work.' King said the sleeping pods idea 'had not really panned out' on the large scale it had originally aimed for, because of compliance issues with Rotorua Lakes Council. It was set up as an emergency response in a secret location on land near Rotorua, but the council advised Love Soup would face enforcement actions if it didn't stop what it was doing and apply for consent. New sleeping pods to be used by streeties at a secret location. Photo / Supplied King said the village was replacing some of the pods with caravans and campervans, which they believed would gain council approval more easily. King said they would sell six of their eight pods – asking about $2500 each. The pods are made from hard plastic and each has ventilation, insulation and sleeps two or three people side-by-side. King said Love Soup set up the Village of Hope for those willing to abide by their rules and there were strict criteria and screening for those they allowed in. The set-up was 'working wonders' for the five people currently using it because they had somewhere warm, dry and safe to sleep. Two were sleeping in pods and the other three in a donated campervan, caravan and a car. Love Soup volunteers transported them to the two secret locations and supervised them from nearby before returning them to Rotorua in the morning. Homeless gather on Pukuatua St for free breakfast. Photo / Kelly Makiha King said the original long-term vision of having several pods on iwi land was no longer going to work. 'We still think the pods are amazing and they work really well. It's just the iwi land has fallen through.' Gaining compliance was also going to be too difficult, although King said once they had their caravans set up properly, she would invite the council to check on their operation in case it needed consent. Jean-Paul Gaston, council district development group manager, told the Rotorua Daily Post last week the council had a legal responsibility but Love Soup had not shared any information about what they planned or what they were doing and where. Gaston said the council advised that any type of accommodation required consent before starting operations and encouraged them to get this process under way. King said Love Soup, as part of wider efforts to find solutions to homelessness in Rotorua, had stopped having regular meetings with other local organisations as they had a clear database now of what everyone was doing. 'It was just starting to be chitty chat but now we are in the movement side to get things done.' Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Scoop
80,000 Books: Library Service Reaches Schools, Rest Homes And Young Offenders
Article – Laura Smith – Local Democracy Reporter In the five years to April, it issued 81,906 books, eight DVDs, 1018 magazines, 257 memory aids and 1234 talking books for a total of 84,423. A mobile Rotorua library service has delivered more than 80,000 books to housebound residents, schoolchildren and youth offenders over the past five years. Rotorua Lakes Council's Library to You service – previously the housebound delivery service and onsite outreach van selection service – has operated for more than 25 years. It was among the 92 percent of libraries offering a similar service. Council organisational performance and innovation group manager Thomas Collé said, in response to a Local Democracy Reporting official information request, that the service was about equity. It provided equitable access for the Rotorua community to enjoy reading resources regardless of their physical ability to visit the library. Library to You services were for people housebound because of age, disability, illness or injury, stress, wellness, caregiving responsibilities, social or economic issues, and who have a lack of available support. This could be at home or in a rest home. 'We deliver books, magazines and memory aid resources from our dementia collection,' Collé said. It also delivered to preschools and primary schools, including the School for Young Parents and the Youth Detention Facility. 'Many schools no longer have libraries, and both schools and preschools have limited budgets to offer students books for recreational reading to supplement curriculum-based reading. The purpose is to encourage a love of reading and improve literacy.' Anonymised examples of service users' feedback included the daughter of a Redwood Village resident who said how much her mum loved the books. Another was a 92-year-old from Lake View Villas who said receiving the books was the highlight of her day. How it worked was every individual or school filled in a profile for book selection; Western was 'consistently' the favourite for those who were housebound. Staff chose fitting books and delivered to a schedule. The dedicated library vehicle is driven by the Library to You co-ordinator and customer support staff on a rostered basis. The vehicle is also used to provide literacy outreach programmes to preschools and schools. The service is funded through the library annual operating budget, received from rates, and costs about $40,000 a year. The vehicle cost $45,000 and was funded by Rotorua Friends of the Library. In the last five years, it serviced 26 preschools and 22 classrooms in six primary schools, reaching an estimated 1800 children over the past year. On average, the housebound delivery service supported 28-50 adults each year. In the five years to April, it issued 81,906 books, eight DVDs, 1018 magazines, 257 memory aids and 1234 talking books for a total of 84,423. Housebound deliveries were fortnightly and covered about 72.4 kilometres of driving each time. Monthly primary school deliveries covered about 135km each time, excluding the Christmas holidays, while preschool deliveries were about 96.2km each month. 'Our longest-serving customer has been receiving housebound deliveries for 20-plus years. Most of the individual housebound customers would receive service for several years,' Collé said.
