Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui is Wellington's central library, and it is also a shared civic building. The library, the Nōku Te Ao Capital E programme and the council's service desk all share the building on Victoria Street in Te Aro, so a single trip can cover borrowing a book, paying rates or registering a dog.
The library lends books, audiobooks, vinyl and CDs, and it holds a Kohikohinga Māori reference collection along with Māori lending collections. Vinyl records and CDs can be played on record players in the building. The City Archives and the library's heritage collections are kept here too, including a full current set of New Zealand electoral rolls and ten years of previous rolls. Public computers offer printing, and staff help people get started with online services and apps. The eLibrary is open around the clock for eBooks, eAudio, streaming films and magazines.
On the ground floor, a private room next to the children's library gives caregivers a space to feed, change and rest with pēpi. The mezzanine has a quiet room for reflection, prayer and contemplation, open to people of all faiths and beliefs. A calm, low-stimulation room with soft lighting is also available for visitors who need a quieter space, and access to both quiet rooms is arranged at the Maanaki desks.
The Central Ground cafe, run by an outside vendor, is open weekdays from 7am to 4pm and weekends from 8am to 4pm.
Getting here by bike, there is bike parking in the basement and outside the front of the building. The basement is reached by walking around to Harris Street and using the walkway. The basement car park only takes vehicles Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 6:30pm, and its entrance is one way. It has four free mobility parks for holders of a mobility permit, and vehicles must be under 2.1 met