Board Members, Staff & Lifetime Members

Rosie's Toy Library journey began when she realised that there was no local toy library in her area (due to it being a fairly new suburb) and so she set about investigating the process of starting up a new Toy Library herself. She was the founding Chairperson of North West Toy Library for 5 years before looking to the next challenge. Being involved with the Board gives Rosie a chance to keep working to support Toy Libraries, while also learning more about being involved with governance at a national level. Having learnt a lot through trial and error in her own Toy Library, as well as through her 9-5 job, she now really enjoys supporting Toy Libraries to locate and access the funds, grants and sponsorship that are so crucial to keep us delivering the amazing service that we do.

Stacey joined Ashburton Toy Library 11 years ago after reading a newspaper article calling for committee members. Through her involvement in the Toy Library, she has made a "village" and many life long friends. Her other "job" is working alongside her husband, Mark, and brother in law TJ - running their dairy farm. It's nothing unusual to see her returning (very overdue) toys to the library in overalls and gumboots!

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Krissy joined the Whitianga Toy Library as it was closing in 2021. After a committee change, everyone put in the hard yards to get the Toy Library back up and running. At the time Krissy had no children, but she did have a huge passion for play - including attending board game clubs.

That passion pushed her to join the TLFNZ to help other toy libraries across NZ. ‍In mid 2023 Krissy welcomed a little one of her own, and was excited to finally be able to start using her Toy Library membership!

Her drive is still strong to make sure her son can play to his hearts content, and that no child is left without the same resources within her community.

Merine is originally from New Caledonia and had never heard of toy libraries before living in NZ. She joined her local Methven Toy Library when her 1st baby was 6 months old, in 2018, and hasn't looked back!  ‍

Merine has made many friends through helping at fundraisers and then joining her local Toy Library committee as Chairperson in 2020 when the toy library was on the brink of closure. ‍

With her experience acquired through getting the toy library back on track, and her other skills grained in her role as a factory Production Manager, she decided to join the TLFNZ to help toy libraries on a bigger scale.

Ellen joined the Bulls Toy Library in 2017 when they moved from Melbourne to New Zealand. She quickly became the treasurer, which provided inspiration to do an Accounting degree, and now Ellen works as an Accountant part time around her two children Maggie, 8, and Hamish, 6. Ellen's favourite part of being part of the toy library community are the connections she has made and the lifelong friendships gained. Not to mention the new career she has found thanks to the skills she learned through her Treasurer role.

Issy joined the toy library community 6 years ago when her youngest was 6 months old. She had a big age gap between kids and got rid of most baby toys before the youngest was born so being part of the toy library was such a blessing. It wasn't long before she joined the committee and - coming from a finance background - it made total sense to step into the treasurer role. Issy stayed in that role for about 4 years and stepped down earlier this year when her family moved towns. They are still part of the local toy library and her daughter loves getting her toys every second week. Issy is a homeschool mama of two beautiful daughters and in her spare time you'll find her playing cello and reading way too late into the night when she just can't put that book down!

​Jessie-lee first discovered the Carlson Toy Library during her university years while nannying, where she saw firsthand the joy and developmental value the collection brought to the children she loves. Thirteen years later, she returned as a member with her own son, rediscovering the same cherished toys that had impacted her early career. This deep-rooted belief in the service led her to transition from a long-time member to a Librarian, and she is now eager to bring her passion and experience to the Board, supporting the federation and the future of toy libraries.