Te Ara Mātauranga Opens as Waihī Beach's New Library and Service Hub

Waihī Beach now has a brand-new library and community service centre, Te Ara Mātauranga, open at 106 Waihī Beach Road. The name was gifted by Te Whānau a Tauwhao and translates as 'The Pathway to Knowledge' — a fitting description for a space designed to bring together library services, Council support, and community connection under one roof.

A team of four staff will bring the centre to life. Community Engagement Librarian Rhiannon Myers comes with a background in both libraries and museums; Anna Rickman is new to Council and oversees the customer service team and volunteers; Alex Cooper joins from Te Poipu — Pātuki Manawa; and Julia Newman, a familiar face locally, was previously the sole staff member holding things together at the old Waihī Beach Library and Service Centre.

The library will be open Monday to Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 9am–12pm. A range of programmes is already lined up, including school holiday pirate-themed craft sessions for tamariki, a Knit and Natter group on Tuesday mornings from 5 August, a Scrabble club kicking off Monday 4 August, and a weekly Brick Club using the library's Lego collection during school terms. A Read, Sing, Move storytime for pre-schoolers will also run on Wednesday mornings each term.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).