After nearly three decades working in Bay of Plenty libraries, Tauranga Libraries and Community Hubs manager Joanna Thomas is preparing to help open the city’s newest chapter.

When she walks through the doors of the new He Puna Manawa Library and Community Hub on Willow St on October 16, she will return to a place that’s been part of her working life since 1997.

There will be plenty waiting for her, including more than 100,000 books.

The exterior of the new He Puna Manawa Library and Community Hub. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

The new library spreads across multiple floors and features a technology-rich Creation Station, a dedicated sensory room, a specialist archives and research centre, meeting rooms, customer services, a small cafe, and an automated machine capable of sorting returned books.

For Thomas, who began working at Tauranga Library nearly 30 years ago, the opening represents the culmination of years of planning, consultation and hard work.

“It definitely feels like it’s the work of my life,” she said. “What has stayed with me most is the people that I have met on the project — library and council colleagues, hapū leaders, artists, professionals from across many fields, and the locals whose feedback has shaped this project.”

Thomas was part of the Tauranga City Council team involved in the 2017 consultation, when the community was asked what it wanted from the redevelopment of the city centre.

“One of the strongest messages was that people wanted a place they would return to again and again – somewhere that could serve different generations and offer different experiences,” she said.

Tauranga Library manager Joanna Thomas next to the carving Taiwhanake, high chief of Mauao, which has been installed in the new library. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Nearly a decade in the making, that vision is now taking shape within Te Manawataki o Te Papa.

The about 5600 sq m He Puna Manawa Library and Community Hub is the first new building completed within the city centre project. It reached practical completion in July and will open to the public on October 16.

For Thomas, bringing the library back to its historic city centre location makes the occasion even more special.

“It’s very, very exciting to be returning to the place where the library had been, understanding the building is now a partnership between mana whenua and council,” she said.

The new library will connect with Masonic Park, Toi Tauranga Art Gallery and Baycourt Community and Arts Centre, while future developments were expected to strengthen the connection through to the waterfront and museum.

“It is the heart of the city here,” Thomas said, noting that there will be plenty to discover, from spaces for reading, research and learning to areas designed for creativity, technology and community activities. “It will take you hours to wander through the building, because there is just so much to see,” she said.

The exterior of the new He Puna Manawa Library and Community Hub. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Children and families will have their own Imagination Station, designed for class visits, school holiday programmes, after-school activities and interactive learning.

A multi-sensory space will support people with different sensory needs and there will be bookable meeting rooms, public computers, a dedicated research space and local and family history resources.

A purpose-built climate-controlled archive will help preserve Tauranga’s collections for future generations.

While the building is new, Thomas said the past had not been forgotten.

Stained-glass windows from the original Willow St building were retained, restored and incorporated into the new facility, along with other familiar features and items.

Neale Blaymires and others from the Viewpoint Studio artist collective created these stained-glass windows for the Willow St library in 1989. They were moved to the temporary location in 2022 and have now been moved back to where they originally were installed on the Wharf St side of the library building. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford

Artwork and cultural expression are embedded throughout the building, with large-scale works developed by mana whenua artists. Tiny details in the children’s area included life-size insects, which were inspired by a children’s librarian.

For Thomas, all of these details form part of a bigger idea about what a library should be.

“It’s a house of stories,” she said.

Books and stories remain at the heart of the service, but Thomas believed modern libraries were also places where people can learn, create, meet and share experiences.

“It’s a space where you bring your family, have fun and create a memory with them,” she said.

Many of the programmes Tauranga residents know would continue, including toddler sessions, language programmes, adult events, board games and literary activities.

Taiwhanake, high chief of Mauao, was carved by the late Master Carver Tony Tukaokao who was a descendant of the great chief Taiwhanake. This carving shows his ancestor wearing a famous cloak thereby encapsulating stories held dear by the people of Ngāti Ranginui. Photo / Kelly O'Hara

The larger facility would allow the programmes to grow, while creating more room for festivals, celebrations and community events.

“The first major event will be a community celebration on October 17, the day after the library opens.”

After years of work, Thomas expected her library team would feel a sense of relief when the doors finally open. “It’s been a lot of work for all involved,” she said.

But that’s not the moment she’s most looking forward to.

Instead, she wants Tauranga residents to experience the building themselves.

“I’m personally most looking forward to that moment where this wave of people just come in the door,” she said.

“I hope that people will say that it’s a place where they feel included or a sense of belonging, and that they want to return to it over and over again.”

For someone who’d spent almost 30 years among Tauranga’s books, Thomas is now waiting for the city to turn the page on October 16.