Te Ara Mātauranga - Waihī Beach Library and Community Hub
Kia ora, welcome to the Te Ara Mātauranga - Waihī Beach Library and Community Hub project page. Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about the project, including latest updates, concept designs, and a timeline of upcoming steps. Check out the information on the right-hand side of this page for all this and more.
About the project
We're building a new library, service centre and community hub at Waihī Beach, shaped by your valuable input.
Modern libraries extend far beyond book lending services. They serve as a centre for the entire community to connect, to learn, find inspiration and to share knowledge and experience.
We'll be transforming this space into a dynamic community hub, tailored to meet the evolving needs of your growing and diverse community.
The new building will have increased accessibility and feature a wide range of amenities and spaces - from multi-functional spaces to additional meeting rooms.
What's happening now? (24 March 2025)
Waihī Beach, your new library and community hub now has a name: Te Ara Mātauranga - The Pathway to Knowledge.
The name has been gifted by Te Whānau a Tauwhao hapū, acknowledging the facility's importance as a place of learning, connection and shared knowledge.
We are incredibly grateful to Te Whānau a Tauwhao for the name, which has been approved by Council and gives a unique community identity to the facility.
In the video, above, Reon Tuanau, of Ōtāwhiwhi Marae, explains the significance of the name.
14 March 2025
The new accessway behind the hall is finished and will be open for business on Tuesday (18 March).
If you're on foot, you can still use the previous access, along the front of the hall and down the side between the hall and the school, but from Tuesday it will be closed off to vehicles.
We are continuing to make good progress on the build, with trusses, purlins and framing mostly completed.
The building is now in the process of being lined, with the roof due to go on next week.
Windows and doors are expected to be installed in the next two weeks, keeping us on track for a July opening.
4 March 2025
We've reached a key milestone with the pouring of the concrete floor! Western Bay of Plenty District Councillors, Waihī Beach Community Board members and Waihī Beach Community Centre committee members were on site to witness the pour, celebrating a strong partnership that continues to shape this important community facility.
Great positive progress has been made to date, and we are on budget and on track to open by July this year.
