​Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga Opened

Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga – the regions newest Library, isite visitor information centre and art gallery was officially opened today in Hāwera, 128 years after the original Hāwera Library was built in 1896.

South Taranaki Mayor Phil Nixon who opened the $15.5 million facility said the long-awaited opening realised the completion of a major milestone in the Council’s Town Centre Strategy for Hāwera.

“This modern, multi-functional, facility which includes a library, art gallery, AA and isite visitor information centre, café, and public toilets will provide residents and visitors with a wide range of services and bring more foot traffic right into the heart of Hāwera,” says Nixon.

Nixon acknowledged it had been quite a journey which started back in December 2014 under the leadership of former mayor Ross Dunlop almost 10 years ago and reflected on the major successes that had taken place as a result.

“Back then the Council, in partnership with the Hāwera Business association - Bizlink Hāwera, developed and adopted the Hāwera Town Centre Strategy - a suite of actions which would provide Hāwera with a more vibrant and economically sustainable town centre,” says Nixon.

“Since then, we’ve seen the completion of Campbell Lane, extension of carparks on Victoria Street, opening up of Nelson Street carpark with Korimako Lane, the massive Countdown (now Woolworths) development in the Nelson/Victoria/Union St precinct, the Foundry-Te W'anake co-working space and enterprise hub on High Street and restoration work is currently being undertaken on the old heritage building directly opposite Te Ramanui,” he says.

“One of the key goals underpinning Council’s Town Centre strategy was that it would be a catalyst to drive change and to encourage private investment in the town centre – and that is what we have seen and are continuing to see happen today. So, thank you to all the officials, elected members, private investors, Bizlink and members of the community, past and present, who had the foresight to embark on this bold plan and see it through.”

Mayor Nixon also thanked key funders who contributed about 35% of the total cost including major contributions from the Government’s Regional Development Fund ($4 million) and Toi Foundation ($2.8 million).

“Thanks to substantial external fundraising and by using the council's long term investment fund and other reserves, there was no impact on rates to build the facility,” he says.

The building itself, designed by Daniel Thompson (of Warren and Mahoney) who grew up in Hāwera, takes environmental sustainability into account wherever possible. This has the added benefit of keeping ongoing operational costs to a minimum. Some of the key aspects are the use of solar energy with an array of panels on the roof which have made use of the north facing saw tooth roof design. A milk tank (donated by Fonterra) located at the far end of the building, is designed to collect the roof water from the east side of the building and is re-purposed for flushing toilets throughout the building.

The district’s Lysaght Watt gallery is also located in the facility displaying its inaugural exhibition Tuata’i/First a showcase of contemporary artists from across South Taranaki.

Another feature of the building is a glass bust of Ruapūtahanga, a famous Taranaki Māori ancestress whom the building is named after, which stands sentinel at the High Street entrance of the facility.

Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga means the beacon or signal fire of Ruapūtahanga, who would light the beacon as a signal for Iwi to meet so they could talk, share ideas and knowledge – a name which perfectly symbolises the new centre’s purpose as a place for the community to meet in order to share information and gain knowledge.

Mayor Nixon thanked Ngāti Ruanui for gifting the name Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga and Ngā Iwi for their input into the blessing and design of the building’s cultural elements.

“Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga will not only be a community and visitor hub. It will be a catalyst for driving change, increasing investment - both social and economic and will completely transform the town centre,” he says.

Background

• The facility cost approx $15.5 million to build.
• The total project cost approx. $20.1 million with additional costs such as the land acquisition, demolition of previous buildings, landscaping and professional fees for things such as architects, consents, engineers etc.
• 35% of the funding came from external sources.
• No impact on rates to build.