Southland District Council’s (SDC) rushed decision to close libraries and area offices to the public has left communities frustrated. 

Deputy Mayor of Southland District Ebel Kremer says the council was unaware what the regulations would be under the ‘Red’ traffic light setting, so did not have a set plan in place before the move was announced by central government on Sunday. 

“No one knew what code red would mean, and central government didn’t tell us until the 11th hour what was happening.” 

“[The council executive team] met on, I think, Sunday to sort out their plan to ensure staff would be safe, and would have needed to make a decision on the spot as to how it would work.”

He says the decision was based on protecting staff from omicron. 

“Safety of staff is paramount to council management, and all the decisions have been based on keeping staff safe.” 

Meanwhile the closures have left many Southland communities frustrated.

Te Anau Friends of the Library chairperson Marilyn Hunter says she, and the community, have been blindsided. 

“It’s sort of unbelievable really because there’s been no warning at all. We are still functioning as a community, so why can’t the library function? It’s a decision that hasn’t been well thought out.”

She says community libraries offer much more than books, with the elderly, families and young people all depending on the facilities they provide; from a safe and quiet place to meet, to printing and internet. 

“[SDC chief executive officer] Cameron McIntosh fails to understand that the function of our libraries is much broader than issuing books” 

“The decision [to close the libraries to the public] is so out there in terms of what others are doing. Gore District Council and Invercargill City Council are maintaining open buildings. Why does Southland District have to be different?”

Lumsden resident Trish Gill says the library building closure has left her disappointed.  

Her children love the library, she says, and she knows many families in the community that use it regularly. 

SDC announced on Sunday that libraries and area offices would be closed under the ‘Red’ traffic light setting, with books available for contactless check-out.  

Other public facilities, such as toilets, playgrounds, parks, reserves, cemeteries, and halls, are to remain open. 

Kremer says that the council may reconsider the decision at a future date. 

“Management will sit round a table and have discussions about this, and if decisions made need to be tweaked.” 

“Any sort of decision of this nature will be under constantly review. If people have concerns, these will be listened to” he said.