By Mary Afemata of Local Democracy Reporting
A new $4 million library is being welcomed as a long-awaited investment in Cannons Creek in Porirua, but Pacific leaders say the community must help design the facility.
Porirua City Council announced last week the library will be built at Bedford Reserve over the next two years using modular construction, funded through existing budgets in the Long-term Plan.
Mayor Anita Baker says the investment will create a safer, more accessible environment for staff and visitors.
“We’ve had unsafe actions out on the street that have come into the library itself,” she says. “This is overdue for our community and something our people have wanted for a long time.”
Porirua City Councillor Izzy Ford says it’s been a long time coming for the community and welcomes the news.
“Cannons Creek hasn’t had a new facility in years,” she says. “We’ve just outgrown it. It’s kind of timely that it’s moved.”
The current library, tucked next to shops including a butcher and fish market, has significant security and space constraints, she says.
A new library will be more accessible for children and close to a playground and pool, she says.
“There are four primary schools in the area. A safe, nearby library with internet access is huge, because not every home has it.
“It’s not just about books, it’s about a warm, welcoming space where our kids can do their homework, connect, and imagine.”
Namulauʻulu Nuʻuāliʻi Eteroa Lafaele – a tech educator and 2025 Young New Zealander of the Year – grew up across the road from the current library.
“It’s been too long since we’ve had a beautiful classroom-sized library in the beautiful Cannons Creek. I think it’s been long overdue.
“I do honour those that have nurtured and maintained our beautiful Cannons Creek library. But I think it is Painting a picture of the current set up, she says “you walk in and then you see the kids section on your right and then there’s not many options for adult reading or young adults reading.
Then you have the office, a small printer, and a computer – and that is Cannons Creek Library.”
Namulauʻulu Nuʻuāliʻi says the Cannons Creek library didn’t meet her needs as a youth, forcing her to travel further for learning services.
“It took me a bus ride from Cannon’s Creek, plus probably a 10-minute walk from the bus station to the Pataka library, and that would probably chew off 30, 25 minutes,” she says.
“And then having this come into the picture will remove all those barriers just to give our community just the ability and our birthright to learn.”
Cook Islands educator and Pacific community leader Teremoana Maua-Hodges says the announcement is a positive step, but one that came too late for some.
“This is 2025, a lot of children of this time will actually miss out on it, even though it’s a fantastic venture,” she says.
“Our children in Cannons Creek, Porirua East, have been wanting a place like this for a very long time, a central place to study, to share knowledge and ideas.”
She says Pacific communities must be properly consulted.
“I would envisage that they go to where Pacific communities already are, our halls, our churches, our community groups. Rather than pull them away to consult them,” she says.
“Equity means equal responsibility for everyone to be involved … but it also has to be inclusive, a collaborative process.”
Lehi Tenise Atoni, president of the Atafu Tokelau Community Group in Cannons Creek, says the library marks a significant milestone.
“Libraries play a big role in preserving language, culture, and education for our Pacific families. The staff are part of our community, they’re relatives, they’re friends.
“It’s really, really important that [Pacific young people] are involved. We want to have a Pasifika feeling to it, a Pasifika design to it… that’s your heritage, and you want to be part of the journey.”
The library will be built using modular technology, allowing for future expansion. It will include a public computer hub, community spaces, and a New Zealand Post box – a rare addition that could support postal voting and civic engagement.
