Old vege shop to house new Waipukurau library

CHBDC chief executive Monique Davidson, group manager customer community and partnerships Doug Tate, Mayor Alex Walker and Deputy Mayor Kelly Annand in front of the old Buck's building.

Central Hawke's Bay District Council is set to open a regional digital business hub, while at the same time finding a place the Waipukurau library service can call home for at least the next five years, thanks to funding secured through the Provincial Growth Fund.

The business hub and library will be in Bogle Brothers' Esplanade, on the site of the old Buck's greengrocer building.

The facility is expected to open in July this year and will host the Waipukurau library service, AA services and council services for at least the next five years.

This follows the closure of the Waipukurau Library last year after it was confirmed as being an earthquake-prone building – along with the Waipukurau Memorial Hall.

The unexpected closure of the library last year followed both council and community expectations that the Waipukurau Library building had been strengthened as part of structural and renovation works completed in 2016. Investigations confirmed significant structural vulnerabilities in the building as potentially earthquake-prone, with ratings of less than 20 per cent of the New Building Standard.

Monique Davidson, chief executive of Central Hawke's Bay District Council says, "We fully acknowledge that the situation is unacceptable, and we continue to investigate the structural vulnerabilities of the Waipukurau Library building.

"It is my commitment that we understand how this situation occurred. We have engaged a peer review of the detailed seismic assessment in addition to legal counsel and now have an independent investigation under way to understand what went wrong, how it went wrong and whether parties are accountable."

"We know our community expects answers, and we will continue to be as transparent and open as we can be with our information, while not jeopardising the process", says Mrs Davidson.

Siting the library service within the business hub will be a medium-term solution until the council creates a permanent bespoke and multipurpose community facility. Plans to develop this facility are earmarked for 2030 or Year 9 of the council's Long Term Plan 2021-2031.

Mayor of Central Hawke's Bay, Alex Walker, said "Securing external funding for this is a huge win for our community. As we extend digital access, technology, programmes and our services, we also weave together the different threads and partnerships that are the foundation of any strong community.

"This new hub will become a digital gateway for businesses, employers and anyone wanting to learn and connect across the district.

"Over the coming months we'll be working closely with industry and business partners and other key community organisations to help shape the programmes and facilities on offer to our residents."

For community organisations wanting to find out more about plans for the site and what it might mean for their involvement in the premises, please get in touch with the council on (06) 857 8060.