We’re thrilled to let you know that we’ve finally secured our new premises, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

Back in December ​we told you we needed to find a new location.​ After viewing properties all year, searching for the right fit for our members and our partners at Hackland Makerspace, we’re excited to confirm our new home at 2 Taylors Road, Morningside.

Alongside ​Hackland​, we’re taking over the space from Auckland Joinery; we’ll also be joined by the awesome people at ​Carbon Cycle Compost​ and ​Regeneration Army​.

The new spot is just 3 km from our current location, a short walk from Morningside Train Station, and yes, we’ll have dedicated parking for members borrowing larger items.

Right now, our amazing volunteers are busy fitting out our new space. Please bear with us while we temporarily run two locations. Our move date is still being confirmed, but we’re aiming for mid-October. Keep an eye out for updates and progress on our ​website​ and on ​social​ ​media.​

We’re not just moving – we’re expanding!

If you’ve visited our tool library lately, you’ve probably noticed things are getting cosy! We’ve come a long way from our first donation of child-sized hammers, and two shelves in the corner of our local makerspace – in fact, space is now so tight we’ve had to temporarily pause most donations.

But that’s about to change. We’re relocating to a space roughly twice the size, and we’re using everything we’ve learned over the past 7 years to redesign the space from the ground up. Hackland Makerspace is getting an upgrade too – with extraction ducts to keep dust down, plus exciting new kit like a powerful dimensioning saw and an extra-large drum sander.

Together, we’re creating a space that works better for more people. We’ll keep running our regular repair cafés and mending circles, and we’re adding a dedicated event space and a wider range of workshops covering everything from woodwork and electronics to 3D printing and sewing.

Got an idea for a workshop you’d love to attend – or even lead? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at kiaora@aucklandlibraryoftools.com – and watch our ​socials​ and ​blog​ for more updates soon!

Here is how you can support the move:

  • Renew your membership.
  • Not a member yet? ​Become a member​!
  • Gift a membership: Know someone who might benefit from access to over 1600 tools? ​Gift them a membership​ to help grow our community.
  • Donate: If you’re in a position to contribute, any ​donation​ toward our move and fit-out costs makes a huge difference.

Can’t support us financially? Not a problem, please tell everyone you know about us, leave us a ​Google Review​, and follow us on social media (we’re on ​Instagram​, ​Facebook​, ​BlueSky​ and even ​LinkedIn​).

Price Update

You might have noticed things costing a little more, and unfortunately ALoT isn’t immune to inflation. Starting October 1st, our member fees will be going up. Please note, we’ll be offering significant discounts to members who renew their memberships. To qualify for renewal prices, members must renew their membership within one month of it ending.

Next events

While we focus on the new building fitout, we will be temporarily pausing events. That means our Sept 5th Repair & Share is cancelled.

Celebrating our volunteers

We were recently honoured to be ‘highly commended’ at the ​Zero Waste Awards​ in the ‘Growing The Movement’ category. This category celebrates ‘local heroes’, individuals and groups, working voluntarily to raise awareness, inspire change, and tautoko the zero waste kaupapa. We’re so proud of, and grateful for, all of our volunteers. Volunteers collectively put in thousands of hours every year to keep the library running, and we wouldn’t exist without their help!

New to our inventory:

The library now has over 1600 items, here are some of our newest additions!

Our drywall lifter has come in handy at our new site!

We also recently added a sharpening wheel to our ‘reference only’ library, our maintenance volunteers will be using this to keep our tools sharp. Thank you to Mercury Energy for contributing to funding this through their Employee Community Fund!

Member Spotlight: Grant

Since inception, our number one library user has been our Co-Founder Amanda, who started ALoT in 2018. Recently, Amanda has lost her esteemed spot as our number one borrower, a title now held by Grant! Grant has been a member since Jan 2022, and has completed 781 loans at the time of writing. One of the tool library’s core goals is to save its members’ money, so it’s really gratifying to see a member get so much out of their annual membership. Grant borrows tools to work on his house, and also makes skateboards like the one below, great stuff!

Lastly, ​don’t forget to enroll to vote​.

Thank you for building this community with us—we can’t wait to welcome you to our new site!