Busy first week for Ashburton’s new library and civic centre
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
It has been a busy start to life for Ashburton’s new library and civic centre, Te Whare Whakatere.
In its opening week the new Ashburton Library, Te Kete Tuhinga, had 7335 people walk through the front doors, almost four times the foot traffic in comparison with the same week in 2023 (1891) at the old library.
Those numbers are only likely to increase after the rest of the building's tenants moved in on Monday
That included local café One Ninety Nine which has relocated to Te Whare Whakatere.
Owners Gareth and Jamie Cadogan (pictured) have been running their café business in an alleyway off Burnett St for the past three and a half years, but started serving on the ground floor of the new building on Monday.
It was a simple decision moving the 100m across the CBD for what the foot traffic figures from the opening week show will be one of the most prominent places in town.
“It’s a great space,” Gareth Cadogan said.
Ashburton District Council chief executive Hamish Riach said One Ninety Nine was offered the spot in the building after a robust process to find the right business.
“We shortlisted a few cafes who were interested, and we believe Gareth and Jamie have the right business to complement the new library.
“We were mindful that we didn’t want to introduce more competition for existing coffee businesses in the area, so having One Ninety Nine already established in this part of the CBD is a win.”
The café owners weren’t the only ones celebrating their first day in the new building with the council’s staff also now operating from Te Whare Whakatere.
Staff were excited to finally be in the building for their induction last week and then open for business on Monday, Riach said.
“After the thick end of two months working remotely, it was great for staff to be able to all get together last Friday and reconnect with each other face to face.
“It’s been a long and winding journey at times to get here, but just great to be finally in and under way.”
With everyone moved in, there are still a few things left to complete the building.
The most notable is the metal mesh shroud on the front of the building.
After being installed it was found to be faulty and is being reworked by the manufacturers, Riach said.
An official opening date for the building is still to be confirmed, Riach said, with the council coordinating with the prime minister’s office over dates.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.7% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
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