Cathedral Chambers was replaced with the Colonial Mutual Limited (or CML) building in 1975, so named after its main tenant.

[4] The indicative project delivery schedule in the Blueprint, developed on behalf of CERA, showed a proposed opening of the new library during the third quarter of 2015.

[5] In a publication titled Anchor Projects Overview updated in June 2014, the opening date was shown as January 2017.

The building's design is inspired by the golden hues reflected upon the Port Hills, which are an important part in Christchurch's cityscape.

There was an initial intention to give the library an English descriptor of "A Place of Discovery" but this idea was dropped and it is just called Tūranga.