Wairaka Road Playground, next to the Plunket Building
Work will begin next week to remove the old Plunket building from Wairaka Park in Pukerua Bay and restore the land to grassed open space for community use.
The building is located on reserve land between the Wairaka Road Playground and the Pukerua Bay Library. It is in poor condition and would need extensive work to make it safe and usable. After community consultation and considering various options, Porirua City Council made the decision that the building should be removed.
Council also agreed to seek proposals in the future from community groups that may wish to lease the bare land.
Work to remove the building is scheduled for 22 to 26 September. During this time there will be no access to the library or the reserve.
Parks Manager Julian Emeny says removing the building will really open up the space and make it an even nicer spot for community use.
“Wairaka Park is surrounded by bush, the library is right there, and the upgraded playground is super popular. Restoring the building site to grass will extend the green space and connect everything really nicely. We think this is a great outcome.”
As part of the demolition, as much material as possible will be recycled. All glass from the windows and doors will be made into new glass bottles and glass wall insulation, the concrete slab will be turned into aggregates, metals will be recycled where possible, non-treated, non-native timbers will be converted into biochar (much like charcoal), and any treated timber will be repurposed as much as possible.
17 Sep 2025
