Plans to incorporate Motueka's service centre into the town's library are forging ahead despite community opposition.
Tasman District Council has declined a recommendation from the Motueka Community Board to pause the move and investigate using the old library on Pah Street instead.
Elected members instead directed staff to brief the community board on the rationale for the move and to improve communication with the board.
The change was expected to save the council $100,000 a year.
Community board chair Claire Hutt said the council's decision “wasn't the result we were hoping for”.
“Disappointed is an understatement.”
All four members of the community board had fronted the council’s Thursday meeting in support of their recommendation, following a strong community campaign against the move.
Separately, the art coordinator for the new Motueka library, Donna McLeod, presented in the public forum to the council, saying that incorporating the service centre was against the original intention of the library and the spirit of the toi Māori (Māori art) on display inside.
Helen Bro and Terry Parkin also said Motueka was “so upset” with the move, and presented a petition which, along with a second already presented, totalled 774 signatures opposing the relocation.
The entire debate, which had been going on for “weeks and weeks”, had been “quite draining”, and had left Hutt “quite deflated”, but she was trying not to be too negative about the result.
“The decision's been made now. What we need to do is make it work.”
She said the community board would push to be involved in the design of the service centre space inside the library to try and ensure it was visually cohesive and would accommodate the sensitive conversations that visitors may need to have.
The board had been “left in the dark” about the rationale for the decision, so Hutt was pleased to be briefed on it soon.
She said the council had picked up the message that the board needed to be involved in those Motueka decisions “loud and clear”.
“There’s going to be a lot of lessons learnt for the councillors around the table and for staff; communication has to be improved dramatically, and also consultation with the community board.”
Motueka councillor Kerryn Ferneyhough was one of the few to vote against the decision on Thursday.
She wanted further clarity about the old Pah Street library and whether it could house the service centre instead.
But fellow ward councillor and deputy mayor Brent Maru described the old building as a “liability” rather than an asset.
He had heard the community concerns about integrating the library and service centre but said “there’s nothing I’ve heard here that changes my mind in terms of why those services can’t be compatible”.
The $5 million Te Noninga Kumu –Motueka District Library opened in 2022.
Following the sale of the current site of the Motueka Service Centre on Hickmott Place in 2024, the council unanimously approved shifting front desk services into the library.
The council needed to vacate Hickmott Place before the end of March 2027.
Only six staff are expected to move into the library, with the rest shifting into another council-owned building in Motueka.
Significant disruption is not expected, with only a small portion of the library slated to be occupied, and service centre visitor numbers are expected to drop following the relocation of Automobile Association services and the introduction of lifetime dog tags.
