The South Dunedin Library and Community Complex building has been formally gifted a name; one that draws on the rich culture and history of the area and symbolises community resourcefulness.
Te Whata o Kaituna was recommended to the Dunedin City Council by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, which has been working in partnership with the Council on the cultural design integration for the South Dunedin Library via its charity organisation Aukaha.
Kaituna is the traditional name of the South Dunedin area, and tuna are a key theme in the design of the building as seen in the glass panelling on the exterior window.
Aukaha mana whenua panellist Paulette Tamati-Elliffe (Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou) says South Dunedin was once an estuarine brimming with many fish and bird species and particularly tuna.
“Kāi Tahu has a long relationship with tuna and our practise of harvesting tuna formed an important part of our tribal economy. Today, with the new urban environment, that estuarine has been built on where the new library is going to be so we feel it is important to remember our past as we live within these new modified environments,” Ms Tamati-Elliffe says.
Whata is a traditional structure that was used through the procurement of tuna, where tuna were hung and dried.
“Whata is used in relation the storage of resources – and we see the community centre and library as a resource centre for our community to harvest knowledge, feed the minds of ourselves, our families and our communities – much like how our traditional annual harvest of tuna was done with our communities.”
Te Whata o Kaituna is a reminder of the traditional landscape that sustained not only the first inhabitants of the land but all the generations that come after, Ms Tamati-Elliffe says.
“It’s a name that every Dunedinite can be proud of, particularly our South Dunedin whānau.”
Dunedin City Council Manahautū Policy and Partnerships, Nicola Morand says Te Whata o Kaituna beautifully weaves the new library and community complex with the rich cultural and ecological history of South Dunedin.
“Just as whata are traditional structures used to store kai, our new library and community hub will be a place to store and share knowledge. It will be a rich resource to nourish everyone in the community,” she says.
The Dunedin City Council engaged with construction company Naylor Love to develop the new community complex, and it is on schedule to open later this year and is budgeted to cost about $22 million. The interior framing is near to being completed and the installation of electrical and plumbing services are underway.
The building design integration is led by Aukaha Design Lead Aroha Novak with artists Ephraim Russel, Michel Tuffery, Megan Brady and Landscape Designer Keri Whaitiri.
When complete, the complex will feature a modern and accessible library and DCC service centre, as well as new facilities for community use including meeting rooms, creative spaces, and a recording studio.
