The South Dunedin Library and Community Complex - Te Whata o Kaituna provides flexible reading, learning, creative and community engagement spaces.
The $22 million facility at 148 King Edward Street was officially opened on Saturday, 27 September.
The DCC began construction in early 2024 in collaboration with Positive Property Ltd, mana whenua-owned organisation Aukaha, Baker Garden Architects and Naylor Love.
Local community groups have been actively involved throughout the process, providing valuable feedback and input to help us build a space that will work for the many diverse groups in our community.
We have a team of 12 wonderful staff who have been recruited for their skills and expertise in creating open and welcoming spaces.
We welcome everyone to come and enjoy this amazing new space. It’s not ours – it’s yours.
Features of the South Dunedin Library and Community Complex
- modern and accessible library includes more than 532 shelves of books spread across 133 bays
- about 24,000 new items were purchased for the library collection
- DCC service centre
- 4 bookable meeting rooms (largest can hold up to 20 people; the smallest is perfect for four people)
- Taupuni Oro – a non-commercial recording studio
- Te Wāhi Auaha – a creative makerspace with a range of technology and tools for people to create, learn, experiment and work with others
- Justice of the Peace services and Community Law Centre sessions
- outdoor garden and seating area
- charging stations for mobility scooters
Cultural narrative
The design of the new South Dunedin Library and Community Complex - Te Whata o Kaituna celebrates the distinctive identity of the area and acknowledges its past, present and future.
Mana whenua-owned organisation Aukaha and local architects Baker Garden collaborated with the DCC on the building’s exterior design. The artwork on the outside glazing depicts tuna (eels), acknowledging the history and culture of South Dunedin.
Once an estuary rife with shellfish, fish, birds and other wildlife, South Dunedin was traditionally where tuna were harvested as an important food source by local Māori – as such, the area was known as Kaituna. Tuna are also a key theme in Polynesian stories across the Pacific. Because of these links, mana whenua wanted to incorporate tuna into the artwork.
Renowned Kāi Tahu artists Ephraim Russell, Megan Brady and Keri Whaitiri, as well as Michel Tuffery (Samoa, Rarotonga, Ma’ohi Tahiti) worked with Aukaha to develop the exterior designs to celebrate the diverse community of South Dunedin. Having both representatives from Kāi Tahu and Pacific cultures enabled the team to draw on art styles that reflect the whanaukataka (familial ties) within local and South Pacific cultures.
The imagery also serves as a reminder of the importance of knowledge, climate change and mahika kai (food gathering practices and locations).
This narrative is also reflected in the building name – Te Whata o Kaituna. Recommended and gifted by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, Te Whata o Kaituna draws on this rich culture and history of the South Dunedin area and symbolises community resourcefulness.
Whata is a structure traditionally used for the storage of kai and, in using it for the name of the building, is intended to symbolise how the library and building complex will be used as a resource of knowledge and feeds the minds of the community.
The presence of Te Whata o Kaituna helps anchor the local history and ensures it remains visible, valued, and present for the next generation.
Bricks used in the construction of the building also serve as a connection to the past and history as they were taken from the former Wolfenden and Russell building that previously occupied the site where Te Whata o Kaituna now stands.
Enquiries
For any enquiries, please email library@dcc.govt.nz
