New Brighton Library - Te Kete Wananga o Karoro

New Brighton Library/Pavilion, 1999, was designed by Andrew Barclay of Warren and Mahoney. This complex was intended as a complement for New Brightons Pier (the largest in Australasia) which was rebuilt in 1997, 30 years after the original 1913 Pier was demolished. The impressive 1400sqm building, is about 2/3 library combined with a café and restaurant.

Together with the pier the complex is an urban design initiative intended to revitalise and bring new life to the run-down suburb of New Brighton. Some criticism was initially levelled at the project as Marine Parade separates the pair of attractions from the town, but it has proven to serve the community well and withstood the Canterbury Earthquakes. A Saturday Morning market popped up in 2000 in the New Brighton Mall and has been going strong since, year round.