The Kapiti Coast District Council has closed the Waikanae Library and Service Centre as a precaution, following air quality test results showing the presence of toxic mould.

Due to the closure, customer and library services aren’t available from Waikanae Library, and customers are advised to go online at www.kapiticoast.govt.nz or visit the Paraparaumu and/or Otaki Library.

Group Manager Regulatory Services Natasha Tod says the closure isn’t an ideal situation, but we take seriously any potential risk to the health of our staff and customers.

“We recently carried out air quality testing at the Waikanae Library and the results show that two types of mould are present that are of concern – one is non-toxic but has the potential to cause hay fever-like symptoms, and the other is toxic (Stachybotrys). The toxic mould was present in three of the four sites sampled within the building.”

“As a precaution, we’ve closed the Waikanae Library this morning, and it will remain closed until we’re confident the toxic mould has been addressed.”

“At this stage, it appears that the library will be closed for 1-2 weeks for maintenance and testing, but we’ll let customers know more when we have a solid timeline.”

“We know the services we provide from the library are valuable to our Waikanae customers and we’re focused on reopening as soon as we can. In the meantime, library and customer services are available online at www.kapiticoast.govt.nz and in Paraparaumu and Ōtaki, and we’re looking at whether we can continue providing some services in Waikanae during this time.”

“We know this isn’t an ideal situation, and we’re doing everything we can to fix the situation as quickly as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank everyone in advance for their patience and understanding.”

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