Frequently Asked Questions

The library is a non-profit (charity) community service; we are not a council or government organisation or a private company. We are a group of parents and caregivers working together to benefit our children. The library is run by the members and a volunteer committee, who looks after the day-to-day running of the library. The committee meet once a quarter and in between, they work from their own homes organising library matters.

Our library is at Memorial Hall, Main Street, Ōtaki. To find us, go to the Ōtaki Library / Te Whare o Pukapuka, and then walk towards Main Street. We are located within the Memorial Hall, right next to the little park. There''s usually plenty of parking on Main Street or the carpark on Rangatira Street.

The toy library is open most Saturdays from 10.30am to 12:00pm, we do not open on public holiday weekends or during the Christmas period.

We aim to keep the toy library affordable.  It costs $25 per year for a volunteer membership and $80 for a non-volunteer membership. Gold Card and Community Service Card Holders can get either membership for half price ($12.50 for volunteer or $40 for non-volunteer)

Most of our toys are $1 - $5 for a two week rental.  We also have a party pack and bouncy castle that can be hired for a week at a time, the price for these is higher.

To ensure that everyone can continue to enjoy the toys we have in our collection, we ask that you take care of the toys and return them on-time in a good and clean condition with all pieces.  We do charge penalty fees for unclean toys ($5), missing pieces ($4 per piece), broken or lost toys (payment depending on toy value) and overdue toys (rental price for additional weeks).

The easiest way is to complete our form online - https://otakitoylibrary.mibase.co.nz/home/join-now.php or pop in to talk to one of our friendly volunteers on a Saturday.

Volunteer members help out at the library in exchange for a reduced membership rate. At each session, we have between one and three members helping. As a volunteer member, you are required to do four duties per year, one per quarter. If you fall behind in your duties, you will be asked to catch up or pay the difference between the volunteer and non-volunteer member price.  We give “maternity leave” of one quarter for expectant / new mothers.

Duty is from 10:15am to 12:15pm on a Saturday. You help check-in the toys, by counting the individual pieces that make up the toy to check they''re all there and that the toy is in good condition, ie. clean and in working order and then put the toys back in the correct cupboards. If it''s a quiet session you might be asked to help tidy the cupboards, replace bags that are wearing out, re-label toys and help with getting new toys into circulation. You can bring your children to your duty session. 

We will be in touch when we are arranging the roster for the next quarter.  You can chose your preferred duty dates, but if you do not, then we will set a date for you.

Please let us know as soon as possible, we will work with you to find a solution.

It works just like a regular book library, except you borrow toys instead of books! Once every two weeks (or more frequently if you want) you head down to the library, choose some toys and get them issued by the on-duty volunteer. Your kids play with them and then you return them to the library and borrow some more.

Just as you need to take a bit of extra care with books you''ve borrowed from the library, you need to look after the toys, ie. make sure you keep track of all the pieces, don''t leave toys outside in the rain or where they might be stolen, ensure your children don''t misuse or break the toys and finally clean and dry the toys before you return them. 

Our library has over 400 toys! You can see a selection of the toys on this website. We have dress-ups, ride-ons, trikes, balance bikes, infant toys (including ExerSaucers), puzzles, board games, jigsaws, Duplo sets, educational toys, easels, musical instruments, theme play toys (eg. dolls'' house, farmyard set, train sets) and role play toys such as kitchens, lawnmowers, baby cradles, etc.

You can borrow 4 items at a time.

If your toy is due back on a weekend that we are closed, please return it the following week, you will not be charged for being overdue.  We ask that all toys are returned before our Christmas shutdown, this is when our annual stocktake is done.

The best way is to use internet banking. Our bank account details are:

Please email us.