A playhouse, listed on TradeMe at a $1 reserve, may be the key to helping Ōmokoroa Playcentre through a tough financial period.

The money from the auction will go towards the charity playcentre, which recently had to fork out $15,000 to repair a badly damaged roof after a storm.

Rachel Buer is a volunteer at the Ōmokoroa Playcentre. She says the roof repair took a 'huge amount” out of their savings budget.

'This was money we had fundriased over years to provide for and enrich our children's learning.”

The playcentre describes itself as a 'special place” where tamariki learn alongside their whānau, who act as kaiako, or teachers.

'We are a parent-led cooperative and a registered charity, funded by the Ministry of Education,” says Rachel.

The playhouse initially was a gift from the Ōmokoroa Lions Club, who Rachel describes as 'wonderful supporters” of the playcentre.

At a recent meeting, it was suggested by a member of the club to auction it off to help them recover costs.

Rachel says the playcentre team thought it was a 'great idea” and 'very appropriate”.

The auction is aiming to raise money for Ōmokoroa Playcentre, who took a $15,000 hit after their roof was damaged during a storm. Photo: TradeMe.

'Community support for our fundraising has been really humbling. We recently ran a raffle with two prizes - goods and services donated by 22 outstanding local businesses - which raised more than $3000.

'We are all volunteers at Playcentre, striving to provide a fun, safe and engaging place for our tamariki to learn and play. I think a lot of people still love that about Playcentre and want to support it.”

The playcentre is also looking forward to their annual pre-loved fundraiser being held in September.

'We have quality second hand clothing for sizes newborn to school age, toys, books and accessories like cots, strollers, carriers, bikes, and more. We price everything to sell, from $1. We run the event alongside our famous bake sale. 2023 will be our fourth year running the event and it just gets bigger every year.”

The playhouse auction has been set up with a $1 reserve, and has a door opening size of 1020mm by 520mm.

It is described as 'very solid” and weighs between 400kg and 500kg. The exterior is 2550mm long by 1300mm wide and 2100mm high. The interior is 2300mm long by 1200mm wide 1800mm high.

To get in contact with Ōmokoroa Playcentre, or to ask about donating directly, contact Omokoroa@playcentre.org.nz.

For more information on the playhouse, or to view the fundraiser auction, visit the listing on the TradeMe website.