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Napier residents are dismayed by the council's proposal to close the city's library for two years in a bid to keep a lid on rates rises, calling for them to 'leave it alone'.
Consultation on the proposal closes in two weeks, as part of Napier's draft Annual Plan 2025/26. Local author Adele Broadbent, who worked at Napier Library for several years, told RNZ she hopes the Napier City Council gets the message loud and clear from the community.
"Just please leave it open. Leave the library alone. To lose that, for me, is like cutting your arm off.
"There are other places that can be closed for two years - the library is just too important. I'm really not sure why they are doing this," she said.
In 2017 the Napier Library on Station Street was closed because of the building's earthquake safety rating. It was moved into part of the MTG Hawke's Bay building as a temporary solution, and a new library is expected to open mid-2027.
Napier City Council is proposing to close the library from 1 July 2025, and keep Taradale's Library open seven days a week - which is about a 20 minute drive away.
"Taradale is way too far for some people. I know people who don't have access to a car, and lots of elderly who don't own cars and can't get out there - even bus services and things are not very good," said Broadbent.
She said losing the library is not just about access to books, which is incredibly important for all ages, but it's a loss of valuable and essential community services such as computer access, school programmes, and community activities.
"It's a not very well thought-out decision, it's too important. And literacy as it is, is battered and bruised, we really need access to those books and we really need the library to be kept open," she said.
Napier's annual average rates bill for 24/25 is $3513 and closing the library for two years would save the council $21.60 per rateable unit, or $1.80 a month per household.
'Libraries are an essential service'
Gareth Wardini, who owns Napier's independent bookstore 'Wardini's' with his wife Louise is keen to see the library stay open. He said people often assume the library is competition for his bookstore, but it's far from it.
"We're all part of the book lovers eco-system. A city the size of Napier should have a library - I know the council has lots of pressing financial issues, but the library does a lot for the community and it's not just about lending books.
"I personally believe libraries are an essential service," said Wardini.
Gareth and Louise Wardini. Photo: Supplied / Florence Charvin
He fears closing the library will be bad news for those who can't purchase books for their children.
"It'll be the parts of our community who perhaps can't afford books, that will suffer. It's about creating a safe space and a community hub, and for people who can't afford to buy books it's essential.
"We have terrible literacy rates in New Zealand and the library is a place where anyone can read and get book. Where are they going to take their tamariki to get books to read for them?," he worried.
'It's a difficult decision for everybody'
Napier mayor Kirsten Wise said the proposal to close the library for two years has been a tough point to reach.
"It's a difficult decision for everybody. We're conscious of the impact this has and it won't be a decision that we make lightly.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise. Photo: Supplied / Napier City Council screenshot
"We were always going to be closing it early for the preparation of transferring to the new building.. about 8 months early, so now we're proposing to close it earlier than that," she said.
It's a move driven by the urgent need to save council costs, but the mayor admits that the savings per household for closing the library would be minor.
"It's not a huge saving, it's to the tune of about 0.5 to 0.6 percent of rates - but it's a reflection that we really have worked hard to find every single dollar of savings we can find."
Wise said the council is expecting a large number of public submissions against the closure.
"We know our community is passionate about keeping the library open.
"We're going to bolster mobile library services and get the van to people who can't get to Taradale," she said.
Napier City Council is also considering a number of other cuts to facilities for financial savings, such as closing the National Aquarium so it can be demolished and replaced with a building that's cheaper to run.
It's also looking at a third party operating the Napier ISite in a new location, leasing the Par2 MiniGolf business, handing the running of the Faraday Museum over to a charitable trust, and increasing fees at the Redclyffe Transfer Station.
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