More than 300 people turned out for a Community Welcome Day at the Flat Bush Library in Ormiston Town Centre on Sunday last week.
The free two-hour event on 13 September ran across the library and the town centre and put more than 20 community organisations in front of residents, with a lucky draw and prizes.
Howick Local Board deputy chairperson Kai Zeng, who represents Flat Bush, said the turnout told him three things.
“Flat Bush needs places to connect,” he said. “As our population continues to grow, we need to keep advocating for fit-for-purpose community spaces that match the needs of the area.”
“There’s already a lot happening here. From youth and families to culture, wellbeing and community support, many organisations are quietly doing great work — sometimes residents simply don’t know they exist.”
“People care about Flat Bush. Put the right people in the same room, and new conversations, relationships and ideas start happening naturally.”
The groups at the tables ranged from Age Concern Auckland, Bellyful East Auckland and the Citizens Advice Bureau to Girlguiding NZ, Hato Hone St John, the Howick and Pakuranga Toy Library, u3a Ormiston, Pest Free Howick Ward and the Electoral Commission.
The library they gathered in is only supposed to be temporary.
It opened on 4 April this year at Ormiston Town Centre after the local board voted for a temporary service rather than wait for the permanent building.
Zeng said one good day would not build the permanent one.
“A permanent community hub won’t happen simply because we held one successful event, but days like this help demonstrate the demand, the community networks already here, and the potential of having better spaces to bring them together.”
The permanent Flat Bush Community Centre and Library, and an aquatic and leisure centre alongside it, have $83 million set aside in Auckland Council’s Long-term Plan.
Most of that money is no longer close.
Board member Damian Light wrote in August that the bulk of the funding has been pushed out to 2028-30 and 2032-34, that staff have been asked to look at putting the library and the pool on one site instead of two to save money, and that formal decisions are not expected until early 2027.
The Flat Bush Ratepayers and Residents Association, which had a stall, echoed the call for the larger community building.
Association president Yuva Adhikary said the temporary library had already changed things.
“Once we had this Library, this place has been the point of connection for people and for networking,” he wrote. “The library staff have been excellent to engage with the community.”
He said the day showed what was possible.
“[This] Community Welcome Event is an example of how effective the community engagement can be if we had community organisations close to local people.”
Adhikary wrote that the group is advocating for a community centre, library and swim centre that Flat Bush “has waited for over 20 years”, and that the crowd showed “there is interest on what is happening in FB”.
He said the event should run every year, and on a larger scale.
Six board members were there, from four of the board’s subdivisions – Zeng, Krish Naidu and Peter Young from Flat Bush, Damian Light from Botany, Adele White from Howick and Jack Collins from Pakuranga.
The association also runs a community crime watch patrol in Flat Bush with Police.
