Waikato District Council will be opening the doors to its libraries and offices from Thursday 11 November.

All offices and libraries will open on Thursday except for the Tuakau Office, which will open on Monday 15 November, and the Meremere library, which will reopen at Alert Level 2. In line with many other local councils, our opening hours have been temporarily reduced.

Basic library and payment services will be available however people are encouraged to continue accessing services over the phone, through the website or by email, wherever possible.

Chief Executive Gavin Ion said he was pleased to welcome people back into Council facilities.

“The safety of our communities and staff is always our top priority and the additional challenges presented by Delta and subsequent vaccination mandates, has meant we have needed to take additional time to consider the logistics of safely reopening. I’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”

“We are opening with reduced hours because we have staff that live outside the Level 3 boundary, or are unable to return to work onsite, due to childcare needs while schools remain closed. Reduced hours will also help us manage the risk to staff working in a Level 3 environment.”

Mr Ion said he was thrilled to be able to welcome the community back to our facilities and announce that Council has decided to stop charging overdue library fees.

“We have heard from many of you that you can’t wait to get books out, and that you are looking forward to getting back into the library. We are pleased to announce that we will no longer be charging overdue library fees, and all existing overdue library fees have been waived.

“We know it can be difficult for parents to keep track of when books need to be returned, and we want to make it easier for you to use your local library. We want to remove any barriers that stop people from using our wonderful library services.”

Mr Ion reminded people to observe the safety measures when they visit. Contact tracing, physical distancing and the use of face coverings are required at all times.

“We want to keep our customers and our staff safe. Like many of you, our staff are juggling several responsibilities during this time, so please treat them with respect, and make sure you follow their instructions and guidance to keep everyone safe.” Some reminders:

• Everyone aged 12 and over must wear a mask/face covering.
• Please scan or sign in at the entrance for contact tracing.
• Always keep 2 metres away from others.
• We will have someone stationed at all customer entrances to assist staff in managing mask/contact tracing requirements.

Council and library opening hours:

• Tuakau Library, Te Kauawhata Office & Library, Huntly Office & Library, Ngaruawahia Library, Ngaruawahia Council Office, Raglan Office & Library
  Opening Thursday 11 November
  Hours: 10am - 3.00pm
   
• Tuakau Office
  Opening Monday 15 November
  Hours: 10am – 3pm, Monday to Friday
• Tamahere Council & Community Space
  Opening Thursday 11 November
  Hours: 9.30am to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday
• Meremere Office & Library
  We will be opening Meremere Library in Alert Level 2.
  Until then, we have staff are working remotely who will be able to serve you.

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