Rototuna community welcomes community hub as work begins on new library

The design concept for the future Te Kete Aronui Rototuna Library. Image / Supplied

The Rototuna community celebrated the start of work on its long-awaited community hub at the official sod-turning for the new library last Friday ahead of the construction start on Tuesday.

Te Kete Aronui Rototuna Library is the latest part of the Rototuna Village development and has been in the pipeline since 2018. It will be located next to Korikori Park and the Rototuna Village and is set to open its doors in mid-2023.

At the sod-turning event on Friday, North East Community Hub chairwoman Katy King said the library has been a long time coming. "Rototuna has long been a community without a hub, without a heart ... We've got people, we've got streets, we've got houses ... but we don't have a beating heart."

Designed by Chow:Hill Architects and built by construction firm Livingstone Building, the library won't look like a traditional library and will be a multi-purpose facility also providing access to council services like dog registrations and a range of meeting rooms that can be booked for community events.

The library has been named after one of the three baskets of knowledge and has been chosen by local mana whenua to reflect the role of a library as a community space for learning and knowledge.

King says she wants this to be a place for everyone. "Newcomers [to the community] might not know what's going on, they might not know where to start, but they know to come here. This will be the heart of the community."

Hamilton City Councillor Mark Bunting, Mayor Paula Southgate and Ngāti Wairere kaumātua Piripi Matika break the ground for the new Rototuna Library. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate said the groundbreaking was an exciting milestone for the city and a fantastic way to kick-start this year.

"I have always said, and I probably always will say, that building houses is not the hardest challenge for Hamilton, tough though that is. The most difficult challenge we have is building vibrant, sustainable and healthy communities. Because without a community, a house is really just a shell."

King said from the moment the funds had been committed to the project, the Rototuna community was asked for input. "On behalf of the community, I want to thank the mayor and councillors for making us feel like a part of the project."

Southgate said that libraries were not what they used to be. "Long gone are the days when libraries were quiet places, full of dusty books and stern librarians. This library is a great example of community building because it will reflect what the Rototuna community wants.

North East Community Hub chair Katy King (left), councillor Mark Bunting, Mayor Paula Southgate and kaumatua Piripi Matika at the location of the future Rototuna library. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

"Residents said they wanted a safe, multicultural [and intergenerational] community hub that is connected to the outdoors. They wanted it to be accessible for all age groups and abilities ... I have no doubt this library will become an intrinsic part of a vibrant and beating village heart that makes Hamilton a better place."

Alongside the library, the Hamilton City Council is further developing the Rototuna village this year. Construction of the village square, public toilets, parking and new cycle and footpaths is set to start in April, while later in the year, work on play and skate areas is planned to kick off.

The council bought the land for the Rototuna Village in 2008 and, 10 years later, it set aside $19.6 million for the development of community facilities.

For more updates on the Rototuna village development click here.