Latest news with #NapierLibrary
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Napier City Council backtracks on proposed library closure
Napier Library will remain open for at least five days a week. Photo: Tom Kitchin After facing public backlash over a proposal to close Napier Library, the council has decided to keep it open. In a bid to save ratepayers, the council proposed shutting Napier Library for two years until the new library was built. However, after widespread push back from residents , the council has backtracked and will keep the library open at least five days a week. "The submissions were clear that people think the library is an important community asset, and they were willing to pay slightly more rates as a result. Reducing its days of opening will still help keep the rates increase low," Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said. Local independent bookstore owner Gareth Wardini is one of many who wanted to see the library stay open, and told RNZ he was thrilled with the outcome. "I'm delighted it is going to stay open because I think it's a core resource and a place for many people to teach themselves to read, teach kids to read and enjoy books," he said. Gareth and Louise Wardini. Photo: Supplied / Florence Charvin Napier City Council received 1007 submissions on its annual plan, the highest feedback in 10 years, and 67 percent of respondents wanted the library kept open for as long as possible. Wardini said it was evident the council had listened. "A lot of the community signed petitions and made it clear they wanted to keep the library - fair play to the council as they've listened and done what people wanted," Wardini said. The proposed interim closure of Napier Library would have meant a saving of $620,730 for 2025/26 rates. But the future of the National Aquarium is not so clear - the council's preferred option is to demolish the old aquarium and build a new one to the tune of about $28 million. The council said this facility would be cheaper to operate, however, only 17 percent of submissions supported this move. An alternative option is for the council to hand the aquarium's operation to a third party, and the council will now develop a business case for another round of public consulation. Decisions will be final when the council adopts its 2025/26 annual plan in late June. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
27-04-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
86,787 reasons to keep Napier Library open: Mary Anne Eyles
Between February 2024 and February 2025, 86,787 people entered the library. That's 238 people a day, most of who will miss out or disconnect if the library closes, despite the city council considering trialling click and collect or making the mobile van more available. Taradale is too far away for too many people. Library staff issued 29,122 books and users self-issued 60,241. That's 89,363 reasons (244 a day) to keep the library open until the new library is ready. Here are some more: internet use totalled 136,829 sessions by library users. Seventy-five events, such as baby bounce and story time, were held involving 913 children and 668 adults. (These figures were provided through a LGOIMA request to the city council and pertain only to Napier Library). For the council to decide, after all this time, that the MTG site is not the right building or location from a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) perspective is a bit rich after moving there in 2017. That security has become an issue with an increase in antisocial behaviour requiring security guards to be employed is not new. Security guards were needed at the Station St site pre-2017. Security and its extra costs are incurred at many facilities and businesses in our city. This issue is not the fault of the library, it is a wider concern for the city council, social services and police. To imply this is a factor in the proposed closure is scaremongering. The city council should make a more concerted effort to stop the antisocial behaviour rather than punish the library staff and users. Will plans be in place to ensure this doesn't become an issue again at the new site? The annual plan consultation document states on page 20, 'an extra benefit of the earlier interim closure is this will give us more time for moving to the new library'. But the new library won't be ready for at least two years. How much time is actually needed? Will there be sufficient qualified librarians left to do the job? Word has it that some staff have left already. In the same document (page 22), under 'Update on Napier's new library', the following is written: 'Modern libraries complement and fill gaps that online information sources can't provide.' And '… it will support the educational, cultural and creative life of our community." Does this not happen now in our present library? Of course it does. There are many more reasons to keep the library open for the benefit of Napier city. The other council facilities in the firing line all have a tourist component and generate income. It is interesting to note the MTG, with free entry, does not even feature in any of these proposals and it is totally funded by ratepayers, just like the library. It is significant the library is the only facility in these proposals that is solely for Napier ratepayers. These vital functions and connections must remain for our Napier community until the scheduled move to the new space begins. And when that happens, we need our qualified staff on hand to make this transition. It is unbelievable that the city council considers a saving of $600,000 outweighs the immense contributions and benefits our library provides to the welfare of our Napier ratepayers.
RNZ News
21-04-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
'Leave the library alone': Napier community fighting against Council proposal to close it
Photo: Napier residents are dismayed by the council's proposal to close the city's library for two years in a bid to keep a lid on rates rises, calling for them to 'leave it alone'. Consultation on the proposal closes in two weeks, as part of Napier's draft Annual Plan 2025/26. Local author Adele Broadbent, who worked at Napier Library for several years, told RNZ she hopes the Napier City Council gets the message loud and clear from the community. "Just please leave it open. Leave the library alone. To lose that, for me, is like cutting your arm off. "There are other places that can be closed for two years - the library is just too important. I'm really not sure why they are doing this," she said. In 2017 the Napier Library on Station Street was closed because of the building's earthquake safety rating. It was moved into part of the MTG Hawke's Bay building as a temporary solution, and a new library is expected to open mid-2027. Napier City Council is proposing to close the library from 1 July 2025, and keep Taradale's Library open seven days a week - which is about a 20 minute drive away. "Taradale is way too far for some people. I know people who don't have access to a car, and lots of elderly who don't own cars and can't get out there - even bus services and things are not very good," said Broadbent. She said losing the library is not just about access to books, which is incredibly important for all ages, but it's a loss of valuable and essential community services such as computer access, school programmes, and community activities. "It's a not very well thought-out decision, it's too important. And literacy as it is, is battered and bruised, we really need access to those books and we really need the library to be kept open," she said. Napier's annual average rates bill for 24/25 is $3513 and closing the library for two years would save the council $21.60 per rateable unit, or $1.80 a month per household. Gareth Wardini, who owns Napier's independent bookstore 'Wardini's' with his wife Louise is keen to see the library stay open. He said people often assume the library is competition for his bookstore, but it's far from it. "We're all part of the book lovers eco-system. A city the size of Napier should have a library - I know the council has lots of pressing financial issues, but the library does a lot for the community and it's not just about lending books. "I personally believe libraries are an essential service," said Wardini. Gareth and Louise Wardini. Photo: Supplied / Florence Charvin He fears closing the library will be bad news for those who can't purchase books for their children. "It'll be the parts of our community who perhaps can't afford books, that will suffer. It's about creating a safe space and a community hub, and for people who can't afford to buy books it's essential. "We have terrible literacy rates in New Zealand and the library is a place where anyone can read and get book. Where are they going to take their tamariki to get books to read for them?," he worried. Napier mayor Kirsten Wise said the proposal to close the library for two years has been a tough point to reach. "It's a difficult decision for everybody. We're conscious of the impact this has and it won't be a decision that we make lightly. Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise. Photo: Supplied / Napier City Council screenshot "We were always going to be closing it early for the preparation of transferring to the new building.. about 8 months early, so now we're proposing to close it earlier than that," she said. It's a move driven by the urgent need to save council costs, but the mayor admits that the savings per household for closing the library would be minor. "It's not a huge saving, it's to the tune of about 0.5 to 0.6 percent of rates - but it's a reflection that we really have worked hard to find every single dollar of savings we can find." Wise said the council is expecting a large number of public submissions against the closure. "We know our community is passionate about keeping the library open. "We're going to bolster mobile library services and get the van to people who can't get to Taradale," she said. Napier City Council is also considering a number of other cuts to facilities for financial savings, such as closing the National Aquarium so it can be demolished and replaced with a building that's cheaper to run. It's also looking at a third party operating the Napier ISite in a new location, leasing the Par2 MiniGolf business, handing the running of the Faraday Museum over to a charitable trust, and increasing fees at the Redclyffe Transfer Station. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
