Brief History:
The Waiau Coronation Library and Hall is a well-preserved example of a small town community facility of the early to mid twentieth century. The complexity of the design of this building as completed in 1938 - containing a supper room, library, hall, film projection facilities and a shooting range - suggests the central role that it played in the social life of the community of the time. With its two architecturally distinct parts, one Arts-and-Crafts, and the other neo-Georgian, the complex also clearly depicts changing architectural tastes during the period.

The North Canterbury township of Waiau came into existence in the 1860s as a run country township. It became the administrative and service centre for the district, with tradesmen and labourers setting up home there. The township grew in importance during the 1880s with the bridging of the Waiau in 1883, and the completion of an inland road to Kaikoura in 1887.

Following the establishment of a school at Waiau in 1877, community gatherings took place in the schoolroom. As the rural township grew however, this arrangement proved more problematic - particularly as the 'cramped space' also served initially as library and courthouse. In 1883 a new school was built, and the old school moved to Cheviot Street, where it was converted for use as a dedicated library and reading room.

About the same time, local identity Alexander MacDonald built a skating rink in the township, at the corner of Cheviot and Lowry Streets. Known as MacDonald's Hall or Tin Hall, the corrugated iron and timber structure was also 'the scene of many important social and historical functions'. As a consequence of its construction however, the building was hot in summer and cold in winter, and thus became the object of 'merciless criticism'. Despite its inadequacies though, the private hall served the community for thirty years.

An opportunity for Waiau to gain its own purpose-built community facilities arose with the coronation of George V in 1911. To commemorate the occasion, government subsidies for the construction of public facilities such as libraries, halls, bridges and band rotundas were made available. Waiau took advantage of the official benevolence, and had a library, adjoining hall and supper room erected in 1911-1912 to a design of Christchurch architectural firm Collins and Harman. Building began in September 1911 on the site of the old library, and the complex was officially opened in February 1912 by the chair of its committee, Mr T. Marr. The total cost of was £606 18s - of which £250 was government subsidy.

In 1918 the railway to the district was completed, providing an additional fillip to Waiau's prosperous post war economy and ensuring the township's continued importance. By 1923 the decade-old King George V Coronation Library Hall was already proving inadequate to the needs of the growing community, and the old MacDonald's Hall (by then being used as a garage) was purchased to serve as a supplementary facility. With the installation of a new floor and the addition of a kitchen and dressing rooms, the reborn Tin Hall was used for another fifteen years.

Despite the community's efforts, the lack of suitable hall accommodation in Waiau was again becoming apparent by the mid 1930s. In 1936 a meeting was convened to enquire into the issue, and a building committee was elected. As a consequence of their endeavours, additions and alterations were made to the Coronation library and hall by prominent Christchurch architectural firm Helmore and Cotterill in 1937-1938. A large new hall in the firm's favoured style, neo-Georgian, was added at right angles to the north elevation of the old hall. This extension enabled the facility to serve a greater range of community activity, with the new hall containing a stage, dressing rooms, a 'Bio Room' (or projection booth) for the showing of films and a shooting range. The old hall was altered to serve as an enlarged supper room, whilst the library ceded a portion of its space for the insertion of new toilet facilities. The total cost of the new complex was £2,695, though a Queen Carnival campaign conducted by the hall committee raised a further £600 for the provision of furnishings. The hall was officially opened by the local MP, former Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. George Forbes, at a well-attended ceremony on 22 July 1938. At the time, the building was described as 'one of the best country halls in Canterbury'.

Although shooting ranges and public halls were commonly associated, most ranges were temporary adaptations - with shooters firing the length of the hall into butts under the stage. Examples of this type in North Canterbury include the halls at Glenmark and Hawarden (the latter of which is still in use). However the construction of a purpose-built permanent shooting range as a part of the Waiau hall extension was an unusual feature, and may be unique. The Waiau Miniature Rifle Club, for whom the range was provided, was in its heyday a particularly large and successful small-bore club. At its peak in the 1950s the club had sixty members, necessitating the expansion of the range to accommodate a larger numbers of shooters. Amongst the many competitive shooters produced by the club was Kelvin Dunbar - club treasurer, secretary and a national champion during the 1940s and 1950s.

Increased private car use and alternative sources of entertainment in the later half of the twentieth century led frequently to the decline of the local hall. The Waiau Community Hall and Library (as it is presently known) however proves an exception, and continues today to serve the community much as it has since 1912. The library is administered by its own committee, and remains well utilized despite being open on Saturday mornings only. There has been recent discussion about establishing a Waiau information centre in the space - a consequence of the growth of tourism in the district. The hall is administered by the Waiau Citizens Association, and fulfils a variety of uses. It is a popular venue for functions (such as 21st birthdays), school productions and badminton. A 'Kids Club', an after-school programme for children, is run on a Friday afternoon. The Waiau Community Project also runs computer classes from the building, for the benefit of disadvantaged children. The shooting range remains in-situ, but is presently unused - the club having been in recess since 1987.