Belong
A warm, welcoming place to be around other people—especially when home feels lonely.
Nelson City Council consultation · closes 6 Sept 2026
Bump Together Nelson
A place to beA place to belongA place to bump together
Bump Together Nelson
Nelson is deciding where to put the “living room” of our community—a new library, community hub and civic centre. It’s more than replacing buildings no longer fit for purpose. It is about creating our common space—our bumping space.
It will be a welcoming place, a place to enjoy life in our great city. A place where people of all ages and backgrounds meet, neighbours connect, our civic life becomes more accessible, ideas become projects, and our city becomes more vibrant.
Independent community campaign. Bump Together Nelson is run by local volunteers, not Nelson City Council. We explain the official choices; only Council can receive your submission.
This website aims to help you make a submission to Council so you can tell them:
- Why this project matters to Nelson.
- Why you support it.
- How you see it being used.
- And, finally, which site you prefer.
We have created the AI tools below to help you create a draft of your submission.
Submissions close Sunday 6 September 2026 · in person at Civic House, Friday 4 September · Official consultation page ↗
ONE · Why this project matters
The decision is about more than location. It is about what Nelson gains.
Council’s earlier library work described a free public place beyond home and work. With a community hub and civic space now part of the project, that idea can reach further: a shared place where people meet, learn from one another and take part in city life.
Make your submission your own
You might find that you also want to tell Council:
- The design qualities that matter to you in the project—no bland, cookie-cutter approach.
- Some of the libraries and multi-purpose community hubs from across New Zealand and around the world you like.
Use the ideas below as prompts, then add your own experience and wording before you lodge anything with Council.
Learn & make
Rooms, tools, technology and people who can help an idea become something real.
Give young people room
A free place to meet, study, create, perform and spend time safely.
Share experience
Age-friendly spaces where older residents are valued and knowledge moves between generations.
Support local opportunity
A stronger knowledge economy and a city that can attract and retain working-age people.
Strengthen the city centre
A well-used civic centre that adds activity, connection and pride to central Nelson.
Our viewA good civic place helps people meet and work together. A student might meet a retiree, a new arrival might find a group, and a small idea might find a room, tool or person that helps it grow. That is the idea behind “Bump Together”.
TWO · How people could use it
What could you, your whānau or your group do there?
These are prompts, not approved plans or promises from Council. Use them to identify the moments and needs that matter in your own life.
A place after school
A warm, free and safe place to wait for the bus.
Make something together
Use tools or technology, learn a new skill, or help someone else with theirs.
Meet without buying anything
A book group, support network, club or casual catch-up that everyone can afford.
Take part in civic life
Find Council services, understand a local decision or join a public conversation.
Share culture and ideas
A small performance, exhibition, talk, workshop or celebration in the middle of town.
Spend time in the city
Read, rest, charge a device, shelter from the rain and meet other people.
For more inspiration, see Tales’ independent library ideas ↗. It is not Council material and does not show an approved Nelson design.
THREE · Examples from completed projects
Modern libraries can combine learning, culture, services and community life.
These projects show practical possibilities, not a promised Nelson design. Select the examples you want councillors to consider when you build your submission below.
Tūranga
Technology and creative studios, meeting rooms, a performance arena, play spaces and quiet reading—all in a building designed to feel like an extension of Cathedral Square.
Christchurch City Council ↗
Te Ara Ātea
A library, community lounge, tamariki and sensory spaces, art and heritage displays, meeting rooms, performance space and a workshop with robotics and production tools.
Selwyn Libraries ↗
Te Whare Whakatere
A combined library and civic centre designed as an enduring public facility, bringing books together with council services, emergency capability, creative technology and gathering space.
Ashburton District Council ↗
Te Kahu o Waipuna
A contemporary library and art gallery with bookable community rooms and regular activities—showing how culture, learning and community use can share one central home.
Marlborough Libraries ↗
Dokk1
A public culture house that combines the main library, citizen services, archives, events, play, learning and places for communities to meet.
Dokk1 ↗
The Culture Yard
A former shipyard transformed into a lively waterfront cultural centre containing a library, museum, music venue and café—an example of civic regeneration through shared culture.
Kulturværftet ↗More speculative ideas—from seed libraries and urban workshops to podcast studios, pop-up markets and a Library of Things—are collected on Tales’ independent Nelson library page ↗.
FOUR · Design, access and character
What should good urban design, access and Nelson character look like?
Adapted from the independent urban design and architecture review shared with the campaign. These principles apply whichever site is chosen.
Easy to reach
Strong walking, cycling and public-transport links, with safe drop-off and genuinely accessible parking.
Welcoming to everyone
Clear entrances, intuitive navigation, universal access, quiet places and layouts that work across ages and abilities.
A real public place
Useful outdoor space, active street edges and room for reading, markets, performance, ceremony and everyday encounters.
Feels like Nelson
Architecture that responds to local scale, heritage, culture and landscape rather than becoming a blank, monolithic block.
Flexible and shared
Rooms that can change over time and do more than one job: learning, making, meeting, performance and civic participation.
Resilient for generations
A future-ready building that takes natural-hazard risk, climate, efficient operation and long-term adaptability seriously.
SIX · Choose a site
Use Council’s information to choose your preferred site.
Bump Together Nelson does not recommend a site. Council has decided to replace the failing Elma Turner Library and Civic House with one combined facility, but it has not selected a site. Read the official material, then add your preference to the project-first case you have built.
Compare sites on Council’s website ↗
Start with the needs the building should serve: access, connection, everyday use, character and long-term adaptability. For the official costs, rates impacts and other figures, see Council’s consultation information ↗. We label campaign opinions as Our view so you can assess them separately.
Church Street
Church St, next to the Nelson Provincial Museum: new build, land purchased outright
- Delivery
- 39 mo
- Approach
- New build
- Land
- Purchased outright
- Services
- Continue until opening
- The most central site in the pedestrian retail and hospitality core, with potential for a car-free civic plaza linking the library, hub and Nelson Provincial Museum.
- It offers strong cultural partnership potential, good walking and cycling access, and a building and land held in public ownership; services can keep running until opening.
- Creates the opportunity for Civic House to be repurposed or replaced with apartments, allowing more people to live in Nelson’s inner city and helping support a more active, populated CBD.
- Consider the smaller site, a multi-floor layout, accessible drop-off and service requirements, street closure and the effect on existing tenants and the fine-grained street character.
Our view Church Street is the strongest fit if a central pedestrian civic space and a close relationship with the Museum matter most. We think a shared plaza could make everyday visits, cultural activity and public life feel connected in a way the other sites cannot. The important questions are the smaller, multi-floor layout, service access, street closure and how carefully the new building responds to the existing streetscape.
Collingwood Street
83–99 Collingwood St: new build on the Wakatū Incorporation site (leased land)
- Delivery
- 39 mo
- Approach
- New build
- Land
- Leased site, up to 150 yrs
- Services
- Continue until opening
- The largest and most flexible site, with room for a purpose-built, universally accessible building, clear entrances, flexible rooms and a genuine public plaza.
- Services can keep running until the new building opens; the site is outside the flood plain and is close to Queens Gardens, the Maitai River corridor and NMIT.
- Creates the opportunity for Civic House to be repurposed or replaced with apartments, allowing more people to live in Nelson’s inner city and helping support a more active, populated CBD.
- Consider the weaker relationship with the Millers Acre bus hub, less convenient parking, the long ground lease and the need for street-facing design with real Nelson character.
Our view Collingwood Street is the strongest fit if design flexibility, continuity of services and a purpose-built community hub matter most. We think its generous site could support clearer access, adaptable rooms and a genuine public plaza, with useful links to NMIT, Queens Gardens and the Maitai corridor. The main questions are the longer walk from the bus hub, parking and whether the street-facing design feels like Nelson.
Civic House
Trafalgar & Halifax St: redevelop Civic House, Savings Bank & State Advances sites
- Delivery
- 41–63 mo
- Approach
- Refurb + new build
- Land
- Existing civic site + purchase
- Services
- Move out during build
- Excellent public-transport access: it is close to the Millers Acre bus hub and easy to reach without a car.
- It keeps civic life in a familiar central location, but heritage constraints and several connected buildings may limit design freedom and flexible layouts.
- Consider the disruption while staff move out, the flood and liquefaction risk, and whether keeping this site misses a wider city-centre regeneration opportunity.
Our view Civic House is the strongest fit if direct bus access and a familiar central civic location matter most. We think the key question is whether the older, multi-building arrangement can still deliver the flexible, welcoming spaces people need while staff move out and the site risks remain. If those constraints feel manageable, its everyday accessibility is a real strength.
The image on each card is Council's own, from the consultation document. Each one shows possible massing and layout only: they are indicative, not approved designs, and nothing about the shape, height or appearance of a building has been decided. Source: Nelson City Council.
Side by side
Compare the options at a glance
Compare the practical differences that may affect how well each site serves your needs. For costs, rates impacts and the full official comparison, use Council’s consultation information ↗.
| Option 3: Church StNew build, land purchased | Option 2: Collingwood StNew build, leased land | Option 1: Civic HouseRefurbish + new build | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the site is held | Land purchased outright | Leased land, up to 150 years | Existing civic site plus purchase |
| How the building is delivered | New build | New build | Refurbishment plus new build |
| How long to build | 39 months | 39 months | 41–63 months |
| Who owns the land | Council (purchased) | Wakatū (leased, up to 150 yrs) | Council (existing + purchase) |
| Staff need to move out | No | No | Yes |
| On a flood plain | No | No | Yes |
| What happens to Civic House | Potential apartments | Potential apartments | Kept & refurbished |
| What happens to Elma Turner Library | Sold for alternative use | Sold for alternative use | Sold for alternative use |
This comparison is about practical fit, not a recommendation. Council’s consultation document contains the official cost, rates-impact and financial assumptions; check the current figures there before making a submission.
From your life to a submission
Your experience is the strongest starting point.
Both buildings are failing, but a submission can say more than “Option 1, 2 or 3”. Explain what a shared place could provide for you, your whānau, workplace or community, then say which location best supports that purpose. Feedback closes 6 September 2026.
Build my submission1
Describe a real use
Start with a real moment: after school, a wet lunch break, a community meeting, learning a tool or finding company.
2
Explain why it matters
Choose the values that are genuinely yours: belonging, opportunity, learning, vitality, access or good stewardship.
3
Choose a location
Review Council’s evidence, then actively choose the site that best supports your priorities. The tool never chooses one for you.
4
Review and submit it
Edit the draft so it sounds like you, then send it through an official Council channel. This campaign cannot submit it for you.
FIVE · Build a clear submission
Four project considerations, followed by your site choice.
Work through the priorities in order: why the project matters, how people could use it, what Nelson could learn from completed projects elsewhere and the design qualities worth protecting. The tool then asks you to choose a site and creates editable language for Council’s official form.
Project first. Site last.
Build your project-first submission
Select only reasons you support. Add your own examples. Then edit the draft so it reflects your experience. The first four stages do not depend on a site choice.
Your selections and notes are sent to an AI service to create the draft, then discarded. Nothing is saved. Review and edit the result before you submit it.
The three questions Council is asking
- Which of the three locations do you like best?Your choice also indicates the level of investment you support.
- What are the main reasons for your choice?Whatever matters most to you: access, parking, cost, the look of the city.
- Is there anything else we should know?Worries, ideas or local knowledge. Optional.
Other official ways to submit
A short submission counts as much as a long one. All routes below go to Council. Everything closes Sunday 6 September except hand delivery, which closes Friday 4 September.
- Online, by Sun 6 Sept: official Council submission form ↗ (you can save it and come back)
- Email, by Sun 6 Sept: [email protected]
- Post: Nelson City Council, PO Box 645, Nelson 7040 (Freepost 76919). Allow posting time. Paper forms are in Council's consultation document or from any Nelson library.
- Hand delivered, by Fri 4 Sept: the Customer Service Centre at Civic House, 110 Trafalgar St. This is the only route that closes early, and libraries are not a drop-off point.
- Speak at a hearing: email [email protected] to ask. If you do not ask, Council will assume you do not want to be heard. Te Reo Māori and NZSL presentations are welcome; say so in your email.
- Other formats: Shape Nelson has full and reduced PDFs, an A3 spread and a screen-reader Word version. Council says Easy Read, large print, audio and translations exist too; call 03 546 0200 to ask.
Start from a ready-made template Four starter drafts to copy if you prefer not to use the AI tool
Council's form has a separate box for each of its three questions, so each answer below has its own copy button. Copy one, paste it into the matching box, then change it so it sounds like you. Nothing you do here is recorded.
For people whose needs are best served by keeping civic life on Trafalgar Street.
Question 1 Which of the three locations do you like best?
Option 1, redeveloping Civic House on Trafalgar Street.
Question 2 What are the main reasons for your choice?
Keeping the library and civic space on Trafalgar Street matters to me because [say why in your own words: it is a short walk from the Millers Acre bus hub / it is where I already shop / it keeps the middle of town busy]. [Add one thing from your own week here. For example: I catch the bus in from Stoke on Tuesdays and Millers Acre is where I get off, so anything further away is a real walk for me.]
Question 3 Is there anything else we should know?
I understand the trade-offs, including the flood and liquefaction risk on that site and the disruption while staff move out during the build. On balance, this is the location that best supports [say what matters to you]. [Optional: name one thing you want in the building, for example a warm free place for teenagers to sit after school.]
For people who want a new building with room to get the design right.
Question 1 Which of the three locations do you like best?
Option 2, a new building on Collingwood Street.
Question 2 What are the main reasons for your choice?
It is the largest of the three sites, so there is the most room to design a building that suits how people use a library and a community hub. It would be built to today's standards for earthquake safety, access and energy use, and it sits outside the flood plain. The library and Council services would also keep running until the new building opens, which matters to me because [say why in your own words: I use the library every week / I have young children and a gap of several years would be a long time]. [Add one thing from your own week here. For example: I take my daughter to the library after school on Thursdays and we would have nowhere to go if it closed during the build.]
Question 3 Is there anything else we should know?
I understand the land is leased from Wakatū Incorporation and that the site is about 500m from the Millers Acre bus hub. I think this location best supports [say what matters to you about the building, access or public space]. [Optional: if the distance from the bus hub concerns you, say what would fix it, for example better footpaths or a stop closer to the site.]
For people who want a car-free civic space linking the hub, library and museum.
Question 1 Which of the three locations do you like best?
Option 3, a new building on Church Street next to the Nelson Provincial Museum.
Question 2 What are the main reasons for your choice?
Closing Church Street to traffic and linking the hub, library and museum would give Nelson a proper public space in the middle of town, and the Council would own both the land and the building outright rather than paying rent for the next 150 years. That matters to me because [say why in your own words: I want somewhere to sit in town that is not a car park / sharing space with the museum makes sense / I do not want Council locked into a long lease]. [Add one thing from your own week here. For example: I meet friends in town on Saturdays and there is nowhere to sit that is free and out of the wind.]
Question 3 Is there anything else we should know?
Closing Church Street and linking the hub, library and museum would give Nelson a proper public space in the middle of town. I support that because [say what the public space, ownership or flood-plain location would enable for you]. [Optional: the option spreads the library and hub over three floors. If that concerns you, say so and say what would help.]
Two minutes. A short submission counts exactly the same as a long one.
Question 1 Which of the three locations do you like best?
Option [1, Civic House / 2, Collingwood Street / 3, Church Street].
Question 2 What are the main reasons for your choice?
[One sentence in your own words. For example: it is the easiest site for me to reach, it keeps services running during the build, or it gives the community the public space and rooms we need.]
Question 3 Is there anything else we should know?
[Optional. Leave this one blank if you have nothing to add.]
Before you submit, edit the draft. Anything in [square brackets] is a prompt, not text to send. Remove the prompts and add your own reasons, examples and wording before you lodge the form.
Privacy and publication: Council's form asks for your name and contact details, not this page. It also asks for a postal address and whether you are a resident, ratepayer or Council staff member. Submissions, including your name unless you ask otherwise, will be published online. Contact details are not published. Council is subject to LGOIMA, which can cover submissions including contact details, and uses a secure closed-system AI to help analyse feedback. Do not include personal information you would not want released.
Bump Together Nelson is a volunteer campaign. We cannot receive submissions on Council's behalf and we do not want your details: no accounts, no analytics and nothing you type is stored. The optional AI drafting tool sends your selections and notes to an AI service to write a draft on demand, then discards them. Your submission counts only once it reaches Council through one of the official routes.
Evidence & links
Sources and limitations
Site facts come from Nelson City Council. The project-value prompts draw on earlier Nelson library advocacy, completed civic-library projects and an independent urban design and architecture review supplied to the campaign. If anything here differs from Council’s official material, use the official material.
- Official consultation page on Shape Nelson ↗Project hub, maps, key dates, drop-in sessions, accessible formats, and the official submission form.
- Consultation Document (PDF), July 2026 ↗Official source for the site options, costs, rates impacts, build times, trade-offs, the three questions, the submission channels, and the 27 July – 6 September 2026 consultation window. Use the Council document for the current figures and assumptions.
- Official online submission form ↗The only online channel that lodges your submission with Council. You can save and return to it.
- The Nelson Library Re-Imagined, Tales ↗Independent advocacy and idea collection used to prompt possible community, learning, cultural, creative and economic uses. It is not Council material and does not show an approved design.
- Completed library and civic precedentsTūranga, Te Ara Ātea, Te Whare Whakatere, Te Kahu o Waipuna, Dokk1 and The Culture Yard.
- Independent urban design and architecture reviewCampaign-supplied review material used for the site-agnostic design, access, resilience and character prompts. Individual attribution is withheld pending sign-off.
- Privacy & publication rulesQuoted on this page from the official submission form and Shape Nelson: names published unless you request otherwise, contact details withheld, LGOIMA applies, secure closed-system AI used for analysis.
FAQs
Common questions
Does a short submission matter?
Yes. Council reads, sorts and publicly reports on every submission, and says short submissions count. Feedback is considered alongside technical, financial and planning advice when councillors choose the location in late 2026.
Do I have to be a ratepayer?
No. Anyone with an interest in Nelson can make a submission: residents, workers, students and visitors of any age. You do not have to answer every question.
Has Council already decided?
Council has decided to replace the buildings with one combined facility. It says it has not selected a preferred site among the three options; that is what this consultation will inform. For the current cost and rates figures, use the official consultation information on the Council website.
Will my name be published?
Submissions, including your name, can be published online unless you ask Council to withhold it. Contact details are not published. Council is subject to LGOIMA, so do not include personal details you would not want released.
Can I speak to my submission?
Yes, but you have to ask. Email [email protected]. If you do not ask, Council will assume you do not wish to be heard. You can present in Te Reo Māori or New Zealand Sign Language; mention it in your email.
Does the AI drafting tool store what I type?
No. Your ticks and notes go to an AI service once, to write the draft, and are then discarded. We keep no copy and use them for nothing else. The draft only becomes a submission when you lodge it with Council yourself, and it should be edited to sound like you first.
Who is Bump Together Nelson?
We are a volunteer group of residents. We are independent of Nelson City Council, do not receive submissions on its behalf and do not tell you which option to pick. Our role is to make the official choice easier to understand.
Prepare your submission.
Submissions close Sunday 6 September 2026. Hand-delivered submissions close Friday 4 September. Lodge yours through Nelson City Council’s official channels.