Entry received from: Hutt City Council
Category: The BERL Award for Excellence in Collaborating for Results
In 2023 Maungaraki School and Hutt City Council partnered to create a vibrant new community space in the Western Hills of our city. Our project demonstrates that Council and community collaboration and resources can be maximised with greater impact – the sum is greater than the parts.
Maungaraki School’s vision was for their new library to be a facility for the wider community. Council was keen to bring equitable access to library resources to the people in the area.
By collaborating and combining resources and knowledge, our partnership was able to service a diverse community that was previously underserved.
Te Whare Pūrākau (Maungaraki Community Library) opened on 25 March 2023. This school-day library and learning centre for students becomes a fully functional public library and community space after 3pm and at weekends.
This project marks a new and collaborative way of working for Council, through partnering with our communities to support their aspirations. This model is new for our libraries as well with school and library staff running the service, supported by volunteers in the local community.
A year on, this unique partnership is a rousing success for everyone. Students created a video celebrating their “love of the library”.
Thank you to our category sponsor