‘Leave the library alone’: Napier community fights council’s proposal to close it

Napier City Council is proposing to close the library from July 1.

By Alexa Cook, RNZ

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.

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.

“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,” she said.

In 2017, Napier Library on Station St 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.

The council is proposing to close the library from July 1, 2025, and keep Taradale Library open seven days a week. The Taradale branch is about a 20-minute drive from Napier.

“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,” Broadbent said.

She said losing the library is not just about access to books, 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,” 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.

‘Libraries are an essential service’

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’ ecosystem. 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,” Wardini said.

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.

“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?”

‘It’s a difficult decision for everybody’

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said the proposal had 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.

“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% 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’re going to bolster mobile library services and get the van to people who can’t get to Taradale,” she said.