The Wagener family members who attended the re-opening
Three sons, two daughters-in-law, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren of the late ‘Wilf’ Wagener, the foundation chairman of the Carrington Polytechnic Council (which went on to become Unitec), attended the re-opening and blessing of the Wagener Building on Wednesday.
The Wagener Library and Resource Centre was officially opened on 4 November 1988 by the-then Governor General, the Most Rev. Sir Paul Reeves – so it was very fitting that we came together again to bless the building in its new state and honour its namesake almost to the day 30 years later.
Wilf Wagener was the foundation chairman of the Carrington Polytechnic Council from 1975-1990. He was a remarkable man who made an enormous contribution to society and the New Zealand building industry in his lifetime. At the time of the opening in 1988, he said:
“This is indeed a great day for our campus. It does not seem so very long since we started with a handful of relocatable buildings on a muddy paddock, yet here we have a thriving institute of learning which, with all due respect to members of fellow institutes, can more than hold its own with anything in this country…”
Matua Hare hosted the event
The late Bryan Bartley, Deputy Chair of Council at the time of the opening, described Wilf as “the true father figure of this Polytechnic”. In his address he said:
“The Wagener name attached to our Library and Resource Centre is more than just a chairman’s name. It stands for achievement and success in life by personal effort, for practical self-learning, for helping others to success, for strength of character, self-control and no-nonsense, down-to-earth good common sense.”
The current library team with Judy Lewin – Head Librarian when the Wagener opened in 1988 (third from left)
We were honoured to be joined at the re-opening ceremony by some of Wilf’s extended family – three of his surviving sons (Owen – the eldest son, Eric and Murray – who taught at Unitec when it was Carrington Technical Institute), two daughters-in-law (including Cathy, who sang a waiata), three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of them paid tribute to the dedication of Wilf in everything he did, including learning. He was a self-taught businessman and voracious reader who was passionate about serving his community, both on a local level and nationally.
We also honoured the creativity and dedication of the building’s original architectural team at the Ministry of Works – Michael Mason and Roger Paul – as well as head librarian Judy Lewins. Michael and Judy wanted staff and students to feel that this was the knowledge heart of Unitec. The donut-format computer station that was positioned at the centre of the atrium provided a central ‘source of knowledge’ just as the digital age was starting.
Dagmar Osborne, who oversees Unitec’s art collection, was instrumental in reinstating some of the original pieces from the 1988 opening. These include the two large dung-fired burnished bowls with a koru form by renowned New Zealand potter Robyn Stewart for which the plinths under the two stairwells were designed.
Storyboards detailing some of the history of the Wagener Library and Resource Centre will soon be displayed throughout B110. The original video of the 1988 opening ceremony is here. It was produced by former Facilities Management staff member, and AV technician at the time of the opening, George Corbett, who also attended the event.