Tūranga Timeline

December 2019

Christchurch's Tūranga is a library 'that rocks' on the world stage Vicki Anderson, Stuff, 28 December 2019

October 2019

Christchurch's one in a million Tūranga celebrates first birthday Newsline, 10 October 2019

November 2018

12 November - Statistics from the opening month

  • Foot traffic numbers collected by Christchurch City Council staff show 95,561 people have explored the library in its first month of operation, an average of 3185 each day.
  • The busiest single day so far was on Sunday 21 October (Labour Weekend) when 5718 people checked out the new building.
  • In the past four weeks there have been 57,202 items issued and 9521 renewals.
  • The library’s Discovery Wall, a digital touch wall on the ground floor which allows users to swipe through a virtual world of photos, videos and information, has been used for 2.8 million interactions and to send 750 postcards.

Read more at New library a fast favourite Newsline, 12 November 2018

October 2018

Photos of construction

New Central Library construction


Tūranga grand opening this Friday Newsline, 9 October
Get creative on Tūranga's fourth floor Newsline, 5 October

Learn, relax and discover at Tūranga Newsline, 2 October

September 2018

Find your identity at Tūranga Newsline, 26 September

Coffee and kids in Tūranga first-floor mix, Newsline, 19 September

Making right connections at Tūranga Newsline, 12 September 

Filling the shelves at Tūranga Mainlander, 12 September

Turanga partnership a win for LEGO lovers Newsline, 10 September 2018
Turanga and Imagination Station have joined creative forces to make LEGO playtime a permanent fixture in the city’s new central library. The Christchurch City Council has entered into a formal partnership with the charitable trust, which specialises in creative play and creative education using LEGO. Imagination Station will have a new permanent home on Turanga’s Hapori/Community Floor (level one) when the library opens on 12 October. Its current site in Cathedral Junction will close after 11 October. Find out more on Newsline.

August 2018

Tūranga’s book collection stacks up Newsline, 30 August 2018

Tūranga design rewrites resilience book Newsline, 29 August 2018

Media coverage:

July 2018

Council releases cost of digital touch-wall Newsline, 5 July 2018

June 2018

Book a spot in futuristic city library Newsline, 14 June 2018

People are being urged to join the library before the doors slide open to reveal Christchurch’s most modern and multi-use “community hub”, Tūranga.

Innovative Tūranga in Cathedral Square will be the largest public library in the South Island, connecting five floors of knowledge, products, services and experiences. It is due to open later this year.

Christchurch City Council Head of Libraries and Information Carolyn Robertson points out that Tūranga features a hands-on technology and innovation zone, a cafe, a 200-seat community arena, activity rooms, an exhibition space, study spaces, meeting rooms, an arts and crafts space, a video-editing suite, music studio, outdoor terraces, a playground – and more than 175,000 books.

“It’s free for Christchurch residents to join our city libraries, which all offer a range of valuable resources. You can do so online or simply fill out a membership form at any local library,” Ms Robertson says. Read more.

Tūranga (New Central Library)

Migration stories and the currents that bring people to new countries feature in a large-scale artwork adorning the new central library.

Local Māori artists Morgan Mathews-Hale and Riki Manuel have collaborated on the design which has been painstakingly sand blasted by hand at local studio Art Fetiche Studio into bluestone tiles that make up a 38-metre outer wall of Tūranga. Read more.

All this technology under one roof. This article was published in uncover- huraina issue 8, June to August 2018

May 2018

Tūranga to cater for foodies, coffee lovers [Newsline article 18 May 2018]

Food lovers and coffee connoisseurs are in for a treat when Christchurch’s new central library, Tūranga, opens its doors later this year. The $92 million public library – set to become the most modern in the southern hemisphere – will feature an array of high-tech learning experiences, as well as a new café and espresso bar split between its ground and first floors. The venues, both called Foundation, will be jointly operated by The Catering Belle owner Ruth Trevella and current part-owner of Linwood’s Under the Red Veranda Amanda Heasley. Read more. 

March 2018

A library but not as we know it Carolyn Robertson, Head of Libraries and Information, Christchurch City Council. This article was published in uncover- huraina issue 7, March to May 2018

January 2018

NZ's biggest 'touch wall' on books for Tūranga Newsline, 29 January 2018

December 2017

Smart technology booked in for new city library Newsline, 7 December 2017

November 2017

September 2017

August 2017

New Central Library taking shape in city centre Newsline, 30 August

May 2017

Spark signs on as library, knowledge centre partner Newsline, 9 May

March 2017

New Central Library construction
New Central Library - Southbase Construction, 21 March 2017. Photo by Pam Carmichael Photography. Flickr New-Central-2017-03-21-45

December 2016

Thursday 8 December: New central library taking shape Newsline
Another milestone in the construction of Christchurch’s new central library was reached today when the first pre-cast concrete panel was lifted into place.

First wall panel
New Central Library - Southbase Construction, 8 December 2016. Photo by Pam Carmichael Photography. Flickr New-Central-2016-12-08-CL-014

View more photos.

October 2016

Foundations laid for a 21st century knowledge centre
The concrete pour for new Central Library's foundations took place today, Wednesday 26 October 2016.

August 2016

July 2016

4183 - Central Library Establishment Manager (Fixed Term) applications closed 24 July 2016.

June 2016

March 2016

Development of Christchurch's new Central Library has marked another big milestone, with Christchurch City Council confirming Southbase Construction Ltd. as the preferred contractor. Read New Central Library is ready to go, Christchurch City Council media release, 14 March 2016.

February 2016

Preparatory groundworks on the New Central Library site in Cathedral Square started on 22 February.

June 2015

Strong interest in building New Central Library - press release 24 June 2015.

New Central Library site

The site for the New Central Library was cleared. Here are some photos of progress of the demolition of the Camelot Hotel.

Camelot Hotel demolition timelapse 12 June 2015

New Central Library in the news