Te Whata o Kaituna South Dunedin Community Library

Through their Aukaha team, mana whenua worked on the building's cultural design in partnership with the Dunedin City Council and Baker Garden Architects. Kāi Tahu artist Ephraim Russell and Michel Tuffery (Samoa, Rarotonga, Ma’ohi Tahiti) created the interior and exterior designs. The maro belt at the base of the building, which incorporates stone from around Otago and recycled bricks from the Wolfenden and Russell building on which Te Whata o Kaituna is built, weaves around the building to represent the many communities that make up the area.

Two large basalt pou stand astride the entrance on King Edward Street, welcoming people into a foyer lined with pātiki wood and light panels below a striking pulled linen artwork by Kāi Tahu artist Megan Brady. The work interprets the story of tuna descending from the heavens to earth.

Throughout the building, imagery connects us to te Taio (the natural world). Kai Tahu artist Kerri Whaitiri's landscape design for the courtyard features whakataukī that speak to the knowledge of mahika kai practices and the environment. They are etched into the courtyard pavers, which, in turn, form patterns that mimic the waterways that once traversed the area.

The $22 million facility opened to the public on 27 September 2025, marking the end of more than 20 years of lobbying by the local community and Dunedin Public Libraries to establish a library in this area. Numerous community consultations and hui over the years highlighted the importance of a facility offering services for learning, connection, and exchange. They knew that building a library would improve South Dunedin’s economic, social, cultural, and environmental well-being and help regenerate the area for the benefit of future generations.

In 2017, the Dunedin City Council, Anne Turvey (ex-Councillor) and Bernie Hawke (then Director of Library Services) officially opened the South Dunedin Community Pop Up facility on Hillside Road. Library staff were seconded initially for a two-year period to run the facility while plans for a permanent bespoke-built library were developed. No one expected it would take a further six years for the library, promised to the South Dunedin community decades earlier, to finally open.

Designs for the permanent library were initiated in 2020, but progress stalled due to issues with the site originally planned for development. Justin Stott of Positive Property Limited (PPL) approached DCC about a main-street new-build project he was working on. The council decided to collaborate with PPL, which would build a two-story building to a shell stage, with DCC completing the fit-out. Cadzow Architects had already designed the shell, and Baker and Garden were brought in to transform what had been planned as retail space into a library that brought to life the local community's hopes and aspirations.

Inside, there are bookable meeting rooms with Wi-Fi and video conferencing, a makerspace and recording studio, printing and photocopy services, along with a council service desk and, best of all, a collection of 25,000 borrowable books and resources. The layout of help desks and services was informed by library values of manaakitaka and whakawhanaukataka, so staff are welcoming and visible. The materials used create a warm, calm space, and the acoustics are very quiet. The bus stop is right outside the front door on a busy main road, yet you can hardly hear any traffic sound.

The response from locals has been overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of new members signing up, many of whom told staff they’d never been to a library before. We’re still settling into the new space and working on the programmes that will be offered in 2026, but the business-as-usual activities are in full swing, and staff love working in the space and seeing the joy it brings to the community.

Te Whata o Kaituna South Dunedin Community Library

From pop-up to permanent library

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