The YVR AC Maple leaf lounge has a reputation for being very by the book on guest access. They need to be - it's extremely small and poky with little space for kids, or anyone much else for that matter. Most of the times I have been in there I have found it very overcrowded (often no spare seats whatsoever). This holds true especially for the evening NZ departures. It needs to be about 3x it's current size IMO.

Oh and the food quality and selection is abysmal.

Traveling with young kids I have actually preferred in recent years to at least spend some of our wait time wandering around the main international concourse and checking out the large aquarium. Burns off some of their excess energy before the long flight.