Northcote's new Community Hub awarded Greenstar Rating

Green Star, operated by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), is Australasia’s leading voluntary sustainability rating system for non-residential buildings, fit-outs, and communities.

Projects are rated from four to six stars, with six stars recognising buildings that demonstrate global leadership in sustainability. The programme aims to transform how buildings are designed and built, significantly reducing carbon emissions while improving health and wellbeing.

World-leading sustainable design

Kate Cumberpatch, Priority Location Direction at the Auckland Urban Development Office at Auckland Council, says,

“We’re delighted the Northcote community hub has achieved the
highest sustainability rating, in recognition of its strong sustainability features.

From solar panels and rainwater reuse to thoughtful material choices and waste management, we’re delivering environmental and health and well-being benefits for the neighbourhood now and into the future.

We’re thrilled for the community to have their new community hub recognised as a leader in sustainable design”.

The sustainability features of the new community hub include:

• An energy-efficient building design to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Solar panels to help power the building.
• Recycled rainwater systems and smarter stormwater management.
• Natural ventilation and other low-energy building technologies.
• Dedicated bike parking to support active transport.
• The use of low-impact, locally sourced materials and New Zealand-made components wherever possible for their beneficial health and environmental benefits.
• Deconstruction of portions of the building, avoiding waste and saving materials for use.
• Reuse and upgrading of the existing library, celebrating its heritage, and avoiding waste and embodied carbon emissions from its removal.

Construction of the new community hub is scheduled to begin from late April 2026 and is expected to be completed in late 2027.

A modern hub for the whole community

Kate says, “The multi-purpose hub will modernise and extend the existing heritage-listed library, with the addition of a new wing. Once completed, it will bring together the library, Citizens Advice Bureau, Hearts & Minds, NorthArt and Plunket, all under one roof.

The development will also include shared community spaces, rooms available for hire, a large, covered veranda connecting to an upgraded Puāwai Cadness Reserve, and a larger, more welcoming front plaza."

Transforming Puāwai Cadness Reserve

Alongside the community hub, Puāwai Cadness Reserve will be upgraded at the same time. Improvements include a new basketball court, two play spaces, gardens, a pavilion, toilets, and extensive new planting — creating a greener, more inviting place for people of all ages.

Kate says,

“Both the new hub and reserve have been designed with and for the community, ensuring they are welcoming, accessible, and flexible spaces that support everyday use.”

Part of a bigger transformation

“These projects are part of the wider redevelopment of Northcote. Much has already been completed - with Kāinga Ora investment in housing and the Ministry of Education’s improvements to local schools. Now the town centre is being transformed.

As well as the new community hub and upgraded reserve, Te Ara Awataha - Northcote’s new greenway - will be completed in September 2026 and then from 2028, we will partner with developers to modernise the town centre in stages.

Watch this space – big changes are ahead!”