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Collecting and sharing great books so all tamariki have access to stories they love

Our mission

Story Store's mission is to create equitable reading opportunities for all New Zealand tamariki

How we started

The idea for Story Store was born when I was asked whether I knew of any school libraries in need of near new used books. Addressing this need has become my passion and goal in retirement.

- Joanna Baynes, founder of The Story Store Trust

By the end of January 2023 shelving was being installed in our premises at EPIT (Education Partnership & Innovation Trust) in Onehunga.

Who is eligible

We have four criteria for schools to meet:

The school has an insufficient budget to provide new books for their library
The school must have a decile rating of 6 and under in the old system
The school management must be 'pro Library'
There needs to be someone passionate about books/reading leading the Library space

How we work

Story Store works best when we have stock turning over - it's all about 'books in' and 'books out'.

'Books in' are the donations of near-new books that we receive from individuals or through schools holding book drives for us. Books need to be in excellent condition because library books lead a hard life...and it sends a subliminal message that all tamariki are worthy of nice books!

When we receive a donation, the books are sorted into 'A' and 'B' depending on their condition. The best of the best are 'A' — these are catalogued then shelved. The 'B' grade books have some small defect, e.g. a name written on the end papers. These books are not catalogued, and if a school selects them, they know and understand the defect.

'Books out' Our visiting schools are very excited when they walk into our bookstore. They choose their books from a collection of several thousand books covering a huge range of subject areas. Like a shop, we even have daily specials. Schools potentially walk away with 200 free books.

Schools we've helped

Since our very first visit from St Mary's School in Avondale in March 2023, we have happily donated 6,108 books to 49 schools, impacting 13,344 tamariki!

The books, chosen by our visiting school librarians, teachers, teacher aides, and students, find new homes in school libraries throughout the motu.

Click on the map to explore the schools we work with.

What schools say

Ranui Primary School

"Today was very much like Christmas morning"

Birdwood School

"Thank you for all you do to bring stories to children. We know it is critical for strong futures for all."

Rosebank School

"It honestly felt like an early Christmas."

Moanataiari

"What makes this gift even more special is The Story Store's clear commitment to reading for pleasure. Knowing that these books were chosen with children's interests in mind has already generated excitement, and we are seeing that enthusiasm ripple through classrooms and during silent reading time."

How you can help

Donations of pristine condition books are always welcome. Many schools run 'book drives' with their students bringing in books from their own bookshelves that they may have outgrown. Monetary donations also help the cause. These funds can be used to purchase recent publications that really do provide the icing on the cake!