Membership Terms & Conditions

At Te Āhuru Mōwai, our collection has approximately 50,000 physical items including books, magazines, newspapers, DVD's, audio books, games, kits and more. As well as over 150,000 digital items including eBooks, eAudiobooks, magazines, newspapers, movies and more.

As a member of Manawatū Community Hub Libraries (MCHL) you have access to a great selection of items catering to a wide variety of interests, ages and stages of life.

Getting a Membership Card

MCHL allows membership for lending services to all who register that have a NZ address. There are three types of Membership;

  • Adult Member (aged 18+);
  • Junior Member (up to age 17);
  • Digital Member (online borrowing only, no physical items).

To become a member, you must acknowledge and agree to the following terms of acceptable use:

  1. Borrowing of Items
    1. Members can borrow items free of charge, with the exception of some specialty items which may incur a borrowing fee (these will be labelled).
    2. Members can renew items, up to a maximum of twice per loan period (unless someone has a hold placed on the item or it is classified as a kit). If members need further renewals (or it is a kit), contact must be made with the MCHL staff.
    3. Members do not incur overdue charges for returning items late. Members must be respectful of due dates and endeavour to meet due dates for items as other members may have a hold on the item and are waiting for it to be returned.
    4. An item is considered lost when it is not returned after 5-weeks past the end of the loan period. If an item is lost a replacement fee that reflects the original purchase price of the item will be charged to the member’s account.
    5. In cases where a lost item has been paid for, and the Member subsequently finds the lost item, MCHL is under no obligation to accept the return of the item and/or to issue a refund.
    6. Members must return items borrowed in good condition. The condition of items is as per staff judgement (reasonable wear and tear is acceptable). Any items not returned in good condition will be considered ‘damaged’ and members will be charged a replacement fee (charged at original purchase price).
    7. Adult Members are responsible for the items borrowed by any Junior Members in their household.
  2. Responsibility of the Member
    1. Members will notify MCHL staff of any change of address, phone number and/or email address.
    2. A Member’s privilege refers to the active state of their membership. Every two years a member’s privilege will expire. Members will receive an email prompting them to get in touch with MCHL staff to confirm their contact details, and for members to review any changes to the MCHL Membership Terms of Use.
    3. Members will notify MCHL staff immediately if their membership card is lost or stolen.
    4. Adult Members are responsible for updating the contact details of any Junior Members in their household.
    5. Members are responsible for their own actions and behaviours and for any guests they bring into Te Āhuru Mōwai or any MCHL outreach location.
  3. Fees and Charges
    1. All fees and charges are set by Manawatū District Council on an annual basis and are non-negotiable.
    2. Members owing any fees and charges must pay these to continue borrowing items.
    3. Adult Members are responsible for Junior Members in their household, including any fees and charges on their profiles that have accumulated.
    4. A member’s profile showing any outstanding fees and charges will become BLOCKED in the system until paid in full. Use of the self-service kiosks and the ability to renew items is unavailable under this status.
    5. BLOCKED members must contribute regularly towards the reduction of fees and charges on their profile, to continue to borrow items.
    6. BLOCKED member profiles with fees and charges that remain unpaid after a period of 3 months will receive an invoice for outstanding amounts. In accordance with Manawatū District Council’s Accounts Receivable Terms and Conditions (available to view at www.mdc.govt.nz ), invoices that are then unpaid may incur additional charges or be referred on to a debt collection agency for recovery.
    7. A member’s failure to pay any outstanding fees and charges, or to comply with Manawatu District Council’s, or MCHL’s, Terms and Conditions, will result in termination of membership.
  4. Privacy / Health and Safety
    1. Security cameras monitor the use of the facility as per Council’s Privacy Statement, a copy of which can be viewed online at www.mdc.govt.nz
    2. All MCHL terms and conditions and policies are in effect during any visit to Te Āhuru Mōwai or any MCHL outreach location and must be adhered to, including but not limited to the Customer Code of Conduct, Digital Technology and Internet Public Access policy, and Membership and Meeting Room terms and conditions. These can all be found and reviewed at www.mchl.co.nz
    3. Violations of the above may result in the loss of Membership, as well as fines and legal consequences. Members agree that they are responsible for any injuries or damage to MCHL property or equipment caused by themselves or any guests they bring in and they indemnify MCHL against all damages, losses and expenses caused or contributed by themselves or any guests they bring in, and agree that they are fully liable for, and indemnify MCHL and the Council against, all damages, losses, costs and expenses incurred by MCHL and/or the Council, caused or contributed to by themselves or any guests they bring in to MCHL.

Definitions:

  • Item - refers to anything that is able to be borrowed from MCHL, for example books, DVDs, puzzles, robots, games, kits, etc.
  • Member - refers to any person who has accepted the Terms of Use for Manawatū Community Hub Libraries (previously Feilding Library, Manawatū District Libraries) and is issued with a Manawatū District Council Community Facilities Membership Card.
  • Termination of Membership - Termination of membership is at the discretion of Council staff and is non-negotiable.
  • Kit - refers to an item in the collection that is specialist in nature, this could be a board game (not puzzles), a guitar, a robot, etc.
  • Loan Period - refers to the period of time the member is issued the item for from point of issue to date of return. The loan period for most items is three-weeks, however some speciality items have longer or shorter loan periods. The due date of the loan period will be identified on the members receipt or in their online account, or in the app.