After many sleepless nights, sitting under the uniform canopy of a story tree and taking in South Dunedin’s new library is a dream come true, Lynn Vare says.
The City and South Dunedin Libraries manager has been "living and breathing" the project for the past year and today will see the facility open its doors to the public for the first time.
For eager library-goers, there is plenty to see.
Tuna [eels] glide across the glass frontage facing King Edward St, an acknowledgement of the area’s history and culture.
South Dunedin, known as Kaituna, was once an estuary abundant with fish, birds and other wildlife where tuna were harvested as an important food source by local Māori.
The area’s history is also reflected in the building’s name — Te Whata o Kaituna — gifted by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou.
("Whata" describes a structure traditionally used for the storage of resources and kai, intended to symbolise the library and building complex as a resource of knowledge.)
The arrival of a "beautiful, substantial building" in South Dunedin brought a new energy to the area, Ms Vare said.
"I’m really excited about this being a really different part of our library jewels in Ōtepoti Dunedin."
An ara moana motif, depicting ocean pathways, flows under the entrance canopy, connecting to large scale pātiki, flounder-based designs in wood and light-strips, which line the foyer.
The interior colour palette transitions through ka hua o te tau, the seasons, and woven pātiki decorate walls in the four community meeting rooms.
The landscape area at the rear of the building, off Rankeilor St, designed by Kāi Tahu artist Keri Whaitiri, includes whakataukī relating to te taiao [the natural world], etched into pavers which mark waterways.
A band of masonry wraps around the building, made of South Island stone and bricks recycled from the site’s previous buildings.
Under the shade of the rākau kōrero, or story tree, in the children’s corner, Ms Vare said the library had been a massive project and including sorting about 24,000 new items which collectively weigh 12.5tonnes.
"There have been a lot of sleepless nights and worries," she said.
It was developed by the Dunedin City Council in collaboration with Positive Property Ltd, mana whenua-owned organisation Aukaha, Baker Garden Architects and Naylor Love.
The exterior and interior art and design work was inspired by a cultural narrative written for South Dunedin by Dr Megan Pōtiki, of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, and led by Aukaha Mana Ahurea design leads Aroha Novak and Simon Kaan.
A council spokesman said construction of the complex was budgeted to cost about $21.4 million.
"There’s so many layers to it, so many groups, and so much to do," Ms Vare said.
"[But] putting books on shelves, organising it, imagining what people are going to do — it’s been an absolute joy.
Seven new staff joined five current library workers at the facility and had thoroughly enjoyed the busy weeks learning the ropes, she said.
A creative makerspace — Te Wāhi Auaha — would be introduced to library programming gradually.
Community programme co-ordinator Roxanne Urwin said staff would look to the community to gauge what they wanted to see in the space.
Resources include a laser cutter, 3-D printer, heat press, a Cricut (paper and vinyl cutting machine) and sewing machines — "we can do so much crafty stuff," Ms Urwin said.
An emphasis on Steam education (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) was central to Te Wāhi Auaha.
"Having access to machines that you would never normally have access to and seeing how they work ... does this spark joy in you to then go on and do more?"
Some of the technology would be shared with Dunedin’s other community libraries, Ms Vare said.
She hoped Taupuni Oro, the library’s non-commercial recording studio, outfitted with recording and publishing equipment would be utilised for, among other things, oral histories, podcasts, audiobooks and musical projects.
South Dunedin Community Network manager Kirsten Gibson said she was looking forward to seeing the highly-anticipated library open — it would serve the community well.
"In our society, we have such an absence of so many third spaces — beyond home and work," she said.
The reflection of South Dunedin’s history, particularly mana whenua representation, in the building’s name and design was "gorgeous", she said.
However, the network had mixed feelings about decision-making on the overall facility.
Late last year, the council voted to to lease the upper floor of Te Whata o Kaituna at commercial rates, rather than reserve some space for community organisations at a cheaper rental.
The upper floor had previously been designed as a community hub after a co-design process involving consultation with community groups — at the time, Ms Gibson labelled the council’s decision a "betrayal".
"[There’s] excitement about the library, really keen to see that space working," she said yesterday.
"We’re still, I guess, disappointed about the way the decision was made and the lack of upstairs being more for community."
Ms Vare said she was expected people who had never used a library arriving to find out more.
"I hope they love it."
• The public opening of the South Dunedin Community Library will be held 11am today at 148 King Edward St. The library will close at 3pm and reopen on Monday.
It will be open 9.30am-5pm on weekdays, except on Thursdays when it will be open 9.30am-8pm.
It will open 9am-3pm on Saturdays.
