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We're developing a new library, Council office accommodation and civic outdoor space for Ahuriri/Napier.
The Civic Precinct Project is a flagship NCC project that will result in a new library, governance and community space for Ahuriri/Napier, along with office accommodation for Council staff in the neighbouring building. It contributes to our vision of enabling spaces and places where everybody wants to be. The redevelopment will be in the block bound by Hastings, Station and Dalton Streets.
The project presents a rare opportunity to design a civic area that is an expression of Napier's residents and our aspirations as citizens. It will celebrate our cultural values and unique history. Once complete, the area will be a special place for ceremonial events and celebrations that acknowledge Napier’s history and its diverse cultures.
Our desire is that the redevelopment of this area will create energy in what is currently a quiet part of the city. It will help to stimulate economic activity and encourage growth in new businesses and business confidence in this area.
“A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life-raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination.”
- Caitlin Moran | Moranthology
Napier’s new library will include bookable community meeting rooms, creative learning and collaboration spaces, a dedicated children’s area and a coffee kiosk.
It will offer programmes such as digital literacy, and creative opportunities for children, youth, and adults.
Libraries are important community gathering places. Developing a fit-for-purpose library for Napier will give residents of all ages and backgrounds a safe and welcoming place to learn, share, work and meet, supporting lifelong learning, literacy and reading.
View design images of the new library here.
Read the Napier Library Business Case here.
This will be the meeting space where councillors hold their public meetings and workshops. These meetings are open for the public to come and watch. When not being used by councillors, the space will be available for public bookings. It will be suitable for events such as small concerts, private social events, club gatherings and community meetings.
View design images of the new councillor meeting space here.
Council’s customer service centre will be based on the ground floor of the building. The ground floor will also include a café and space for other community organisations to occupy. The next three floors will be for Council office staff, and the building’s top floor will be leased to an external tenant, bringing in a source of income to offset rates.
View design concept images of the redeveloped office tower here.
The outdoor space will be redeveloped after construction of the two buildings is completed. The design will allow library activities to extend outside the new building, such as for children’s story time. The area will provide for cafe dining, waiting spaces for buses, e-bike charging stations and seating for people to enjoy the outdoors. New paths and laneways will be built throughout the area and ground level changes will make it safe and fully accessible for all pedestrians. There will also be plantings throughout the site.
The development of the business case for the detailed design of the new library began in 2022 after the 2021 community consultation on the Library and Civic Area Plan.
The demolition of the Civic Building began in August 2022 and was completed in March 2023. View images of the demolition here.
Tenders for the design of the building and surrounding outdoor area were called for in late 2022. Athfield Architects were eventually engaged to develop the design, in partnership with a local mana whenua design lead.
Council approved the concept plans for the new library in late 2023 and the plans have been progressing with greater detail ever since.
The new library has a budget of $58 million. This is the total project cost.
During our Three-Year Plan 2024-27 community consultation, we sought feedback on whether Council should retain the Library Tower on Dalton Street and redevelop it for staff or sell it to a developer to strengthen and lease it back. After this consultation, Council decided on the first option.
We are redeveloping the building using the same architects and consultants who are working on the new library’s development. After extensive due diligence, this was judged the best option because it enables the following:
$48.5 million has been budgeted for the office accommodation redevelopment of the building. This is the total project cost.
View the design images of the library, councillor meeting space, new office accommodation and surrounding outdoor space.
From the outset of this project, Napier City Council has worked in partnership with mana whenua to co-design the new library and its surroundings. Both mana whenua and NCC wish to promote and enhance the environmental, economic, social, spiritual, historical and cultural values of Ahuriri/Napier for present and future generations. This is a significant and appropriate project to enable this partnership, and for these values to be tangibly reflected.
A cultural narrative has been developed in partnership with mana whenua. This narrative describes what is unique about our place and people, and the stories important to the whenua (land). The cultural narrative has been woven through the library's concept design and highlights opportunities for mahi toi (creative and artistic workmanship).
He hononga tapu a Te Aka i waenga i a Papatūānuku me Ranginui. Koia ko te hononga i te takiwā hiranga o runga ki te takiwā ōkiko o raro. He mea whakaatu te pae o runga i te moemoeā, te whakaāio wairua, me te mātauranga, ā, hei tā te pae o raro ko te pūahoaho, te kōrerorero, me te auahatanga. He wāhi e kitea ana ngā tūnekenekehanga a Ahuriri, i hīia rā e Rūaumoko te whenua i te moana. Ka puta ko te ngahere o Tangaroa, ka whakaarihia he waka huia hei pupuru, hei whakahaumaru hoki i ngā taonga i te pae tiketike rawa. He wāhi tākaro hoki a Te Aka mā te hinengaro, te tinana, te wairua me te whānau. He whakarite hoki i te whiri i ngā aho rau o te mātauranga i waihangahia mai ai i te wairua o te mahi ngātahi. Nā ēnei whakaaro me ēnei ariā katoa ka hua mai ai a Te Aka, ā, ka kitea i tana whakahoahoatanga mai. |
Te Aka is the sacred connection between Papatūānuku and Ranginui. It is the link between the space of excellence above and the space of physical manifestation below. The upper level represents dreaming, meditation, and knowledge and the lower level represents clarity, conversation, and creativity. Ahuriri (Napier) is a site of movement, where Rūaumoko uplifted whenua from the ocean. The forest of Tangaroa appeared and presented a waka huia where taonga are stored and protected at the highest level. Te Aka is also a playground for the hinengaro (mind), tinana (body), wairua (spirit), and whānau (family). It is a metaphor for Te Aka is based on these concepts and elements and this will be reflected in its design. |
The New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) administers a sustainability rating system known as Green Star ratings for every commercial building type including schools, hospitals, office buildings, shopping centres, and industrial warehouses.
Napier City Council is ensuring its new library and governance facilities will be a certified Green Star 5 construction. This represents excellence for a New Zealand construction project and will demonstrate that the building meets best practice sustainable design and build benchmarks. These benchmarks are assessed independently by the NZGBC. This project is currently registered with the NZGBC for future Green Star certification.
The combined total project cost of the new library, governance meeting space, outdoor space and office tower restrengthening and refurbishment is $106.5M. Affordability, fairness and intergenerational equity are key elements to any project of this scale.
We’re loan-funding this project to spread the financial load across current and future ratepayers. This reduces the burden on current ratepayers and means ratepayers over multiple decades can financially contribute to what they are benefiting from.
We have specialist staff in Council who make informed decisions about loan terms and repayment structures to reduce the costs of borrowing as far as possible. As part of the Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA) we can access competitive financing especially tailored to the local government sector.
A civic precinct houses a city’s elected leaders and administration. It can also include other community facilities such as libraries, museums, community meeting rooms, support service organisations and outdoor public gathering spaces. It often includes government agencies such as Police or the District Court, for example.
Up until 2017, Napier’s civic precinct was the city block bound by Station Street, Dalton Street and Hastings Street. It included Council’s administration and governance functions in two buildings, along with an adjoining building that housed the library. It was also very close to Napier District Court.
When Council and the library moved out of their buildings due to earthquake risks in 2017, the area became largely deserted. We wanted to create new economic activity and energy at this end of town.
This project was initiated to create fit for purpose buildings for our library, civic and governance activities. We have taken a financially responsible approach to this project through a staged approach to the development. We prioritised our public-facing facilities first, with the library, community spaces, customer services and governance facilities forming stage one of the development. Council administrative offices were considered as a second priority.
Opportunities like this don’t come up often. We have a chance to design a special place for ceremonial events and celebrations that acknowledge Napier’s history and its diverse cultures.
The Civic Building has been demolished to make way for the new library. The neighbouring office building will be re-strengthened and used for staff office accommodation.
No, the former home of Napier library will be deconstructed. Please refer to the Library and Civic Area Plan to see where the new library will be located, and the library's design images.
Demolition was undertaken by Ceres New Zealand and was completed in March 2023. More information and photos of the demolition are here.
The time capsule is currently in storage. The artwork on the wall facing east has been removed and stored for future use - exact plans are yet to be determined.
Athfield Architects is designing the new library in partnership with a local mana whenua design lead. The project is being managed by The Building Intelligence Group. The same architects and consultants will work on redeveloping the neighbouring office tower for Council staff.
We first need to complete the detailed design of the new library. We have set aside $58 million for the whole development with a goal to start construction in mid-2025. Completion of the office accommodation tower has a budget of $48.5 million. It is expected to be ready for occupation in late 2027.
Parking will be available on the streets surrounding the site, as it currently is.
We are looking to improve public transport facilities and will ensure that the library and civic area provides easy access to all modes of transport and be pedestrian and cycle friendly. We particularly want to encourage access and links to sustainable transport options.
Civic Court on Station Street is on the edge of the civic precinct and will be considered as a key part of the plan. We are considering how we can positively influence the design and operation of the surrounding areas to mutually benefit both the civic precinct and the businesses and activities that take place nearby.
Inner city living will not form part of the civic precinct but may be considered in neighbouring areas.
Any proposals about local government reform that might come into being are being considered during the design phase. We are developing flexible, adaptable, future-proofed buildings and spaces.
In 2017, Council adopted a decision to have the option to divest, either by long term lease or sale, the site on which the Civic building was located, to a private developer for commercial development.
The former civic and library buildings were two of the first in the country to have been assessed using a new technique introduced nationwide at the end of 2016. Seismic reports in 2017 are very different to those undertaken in 2010, prior to the Christchurch earthquake. The rules and requirements have changed since then. We undertook the seismic assessment based on the latest standards. When a building is assessed, an assessor assigns a rating to various points of a building. Under the Building Act, assessors are required to take the lowest rating and assign this to the entire building. This means that while the Civic Building was rated at 10%, and the Library Tower at 15%, not every part of either building carries this level of risk. The risk is calculated against the chance of a 1 in 1000-year earthquake happening – this is an extremely powerful earthquake.
Media release 14 October 2024: Office tower refurbishment kicks off
Media release 12 October 2023: Concept design for new library unveiled
Media release 18 July 2022: Demolition date set for Napier's civic building
Media release 20 September 2021: Library and Civic area consultation open
Media release 17 October 2018: Draft Library strategy consultation open
Media release 13 September 2017: City library will move to MTG
Media release 13 September 2017: NCC asks what's best for Napier?
What is the Library and Civic Area Plan?
The Library and Civic Area Plan was developed in 2021 and is not a detailed design. It is a plan that lays out desired ideas for the library and civic area - the block bound by Hastings, Dalton and Station Streets and the surrounding area. For example, what type of spaces, buildings and activities do we want the area to include? How will we use the area? Which organisations should be housed there? The plan is like pieces of a puzzle that fit together to best meet the needs of the different groups in our community. The building and landscape concept design was then developed based on the Library and Civic Area Plan.
The Library and Civic Area Plan was developed by a consortium comprising Boffa Miskell, Athfield Architects and local designer Jacob Scott in conjunction with council officers. Early engagement with key stakeholders also fed into the development of the plan. These included mana whenua, arts and culture representatives, groups representing the elderly and youth, as well as property developers, planners, architects and real estate agents.
The plan gave conceptual ideas on what the area occupied by the former library and council buildings could look like in future. For example, what type of spaces, buildings and activities could be there? Who should be included in it? The plan is like puzzle pieces that show how they fit together to best meet the needs of the different groups in our community.
Developing the plan was a rare opportunity to design a space that is a collective expression of us and our aspirations as citizens of Ahuriri/Napier. It celebrates our cultural values and unique history.
We consulted with the community on the Library and Civic Area Plan in late 2021. It laid the groundwork for the development of the concept design of Napier's new library and governance facilities.
he Civic Precinct Framework was developed in 2020. It set the overarching principles and values to guide decision-making, and established our commitments to the community and the environment. (Internet Explorer does not support the viewing of this document).
Since 2017, we have been investigating various options for office accommodation, governance facilities, and a new central library. In December 2017 Council approved a Statement of Proposal which would have allowed the sale of the Civic site (on the corner of Station and Hastings Streets) for a commercial use. Negotiations with an international hotel provider for the purchase of this site closed following a change in circumstances due to Covid-19 in 2020.
A site selection process for the new Library also concluded. After community consultation as part of the 2020/21 Annual Plan, Council resolved in 2020 to establish new library facilities in the city block bound by Station Street, Dalton Street and Hastings Street.
The area where Napier’s former Civic building and library sat was a key focus for Council administrative services and governance. As such, a Steering Group was established in 2020 to oversee the vision, options exploration, and design for the future. The first phase in the delivery of this project was the creation of a Civic Precinct Framework. This set out the vision and principles to guide the development of the masterplan for the site and surrounding area. The principles ensure that decisions made over time are consistent and values-based and take full advantage of this once in a generation opportunity to create a space that serves the needs of our community and is an engaging destination.
Council engaged with other organisations including Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Ministry of Justice, to ensure there is thinking around shared services and facilities, and to ensure the spatial design considers our neighbours and their needs.
The Civic Precinct was a working title and the project is now known as Te Aka. Throughout this project, we have been and will continue to work alongside mana whenua, who will be involved in the naming of the buildings and spaces that will eventually result from Te Aka.
With the library building deemed earthquake prone, a plan for its future was needed. Work on a Library Strategy was undertaken, which involved much community consultation and was adopted by Council in December 2018. The Strategy had some key focus areas:
Alongside the Library Strategy, a long-list of 16 potential sites for the library were identified and reports on their suitability were developed for each.
In April 2019, Council was presented with the site reports and it was recommended to them that further due diligence be progressed on a short-list of sites. Due diligence was completed on the top three sites in late 2019.
In March 2020 it was recommended to Council to pursue the development of the library on the block bound by Station, Dalton and Hastings Streets. This decision was adopted by Council after consultation as part of the Annual Plan 2020/21.
The Library Project became part of the Library and Civic Area Plan.
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