The rich history of Toy Libraries in Aotearoa dates back to the 1970s when the first library was established in Hamilton in 1974. The concept of operating Toy Libraries quickly spread to other centres across the country and in 1981 the Toy Library Federation of New Zealand (TLFNZ) was formed.
With a vision of “play is the way” and a mission statement that “actively promotes play as being essential to optimal educational, physical, psychological, social and cultural development of the child”, the TLFNZ seeks to support and encourage development and maintenance of nationwide toy libraries. They also seek to foster and support the establishment of non-profit charitable toy libraries throughout Aotearoa for the purpose of making toys and educational aids available to all families in the community.
The Gisborne Toy Library was established in 2001 and as a member of TLFNZ, the library is managed by a team of voluntary committee members who are passionate about providing quality and sustainable toys and resources to the community of Tairāwhiti.
Chairperson Roxanne Ng says they aim to provide families with high quality indoor and outdoor toys with an open mind to all preferences and abilities for structured and unstructured play.
The not-for-profit organisation is funded through grant applications and regular fundraising events organised by the nine committee members, who adopt a “many hands make light work approach”.
An annual garage sale is one such event, with this year’s one planned for Saturday morning, September 16. It will be held in the outdoor area in front of Coates and Associates, on the corner of Childers Road and Cobden Street. The committee would be grateful for any donations of household items, clothing, dishware, knick-knacks or toys for the fundraiser to keep this much- loved community taonga alive and thriving. Proceeds from the garage sale will be used to purchase good-quality, durable, sustainable toys and resources for the library.
The wide variety of toys on offer range from puzzles, board games, Duplo, dress-ups to sturdy outdoor trikes, ride-ons, water-play toys, wooden rocker boards and trolleys.
“We have a criteria to meet health and safety standards by providing high quality toys that adopt safe play practices,” explains Mrs Ng.
As well as providing practical, safe toys they also keep up to date with the latest toy trends including those popular among the younger children like Peppa Pig and Bluey. The library caters for all ages and abilities and they are currently researching suitable toys and resources for children with neurodiversity.
The Toy Library operates on a membership basis and has several options available at low cost to keep it inclusive to as many families in the community as possible.
Membership starts at $35 for six months of unlimited visits, or $65 for one year of unlimited visits. There is also a casual/ grandparent option available if you have tamariki coming to visit which costs $20 for up to four visits to the library to borrow toys.
Each toy is issued for two weeks and a small fee is attached to each toy. There are also Toy Library gift vouchers available to purchase.
“Coming to the toy library is like Christmas every fortnight — choosing new and exciting toys to borrow each time offers different experiences without the often high cost of purchasing new toys. Kids are free to roam, play, try out and choose,” said committee secretary, Ashley Mountfort.
She reiterates that the Gisborne Toy Library is much more than a library service. “It’s about fostering whanaungatanga where parents, caregivers and children can come together to meet, make connections, form support networks and friendships. We have a kitchen space available for parents and caregivers to make a cuppa while visiting the library. We just ask for a koha to cover the costs of supplies.”
The library operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. There are two paid staff members on hand, who the committee pays through grant funding applications.
The committee welcomes families to come in, have a browse and find out what the Gisborne Toy Library offers before deciding on a membership.
Gisborne Toy Library — it’s an experience where “play is the way” and friendships and support networks are formed.
