Playground upgrades

We are committed to improving the accessibility of our play spaces for the whole community by having connecting paths to each site.  And, excitedly, our playgrounds will include items of sensory play, that incorporate touch and sound.

Playground upgrades and renewals are driven by the condition of the equipment.  Sometimes the equipment can look perfectly fine but in reality be close to the end of its life.  The inspections we do of the equipment is quite in-depth, so while the equipment may look perfectly fine, underneath the paint and coverings is where the true condition is measured.

The playground equipment at Whitby Walkway Playground has reached the end of its life and needs replacing.

Aspects like what age range the playground should try to cater for and what activities tamariki would like to see incorporated are being investigated as part of the upgrade.

The budget for the renewal is $130,000 and includes the design and construction work. Overall, the upgrade will not be extensive and there is limited scope to increase the size of the playground's area. All of the equipment within the park will be replaced, including the rubbish bin and seating. The large green space that the playground shares will remain largely untouched.

A survey asked questions about how the space is used so we can understand more about how it interacts with the community - it closed on 12 December, 2021.

All the information gathered is being collated and the key messages and ideas will inform the design of the playground renewal. The proposed design will be shared with you in 2022.

The design is being drawn up and the construction will take place in 2022, although this is dependent on supply of products and services.

Plans are well under way to renew the equipment at Wairaka Park as it is coming to the end of its life. It’s important to us that this space continues to be enjoyed and meets the needs of the community.

Wairaka Park Renewal Survey 2 – Concept design

In late 2021 you shared with us how and when you use Wairaka Park, what you love about the space and what you would change. We shared the idea of introducing natural play features.

One of the key messages we received was concern about the unfenced area at the Wairaka Road end. In the concept design it is proposed to fence that end which creates space for more play! A tunnel and some other natural play features are proposed to go there.

We are proposing to recycle the existing double slide to go on the slope, and the hut from the existing fort will also be included in the plan.

We saw the kids loved to climb and walk on the wide top fence. In this design there is more climbing and balancing activities with log paths and rocks to climb.

The swings are important to you. The rope swing is the 'new kid on the block' and is trending in playgrounds. It's an alternative to the traditional playground swings. Great for tamariki to do together.

The budget for the upgrade is $130k and this includes the purchase of the new features as well as installation and construction.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

Our aim is to deliver a sustainable quality playspace that allows tamariki to explore through play.

The Wairaka Park playspace concept is part of an organic design process, so the next step is to hear your feedback before detailed design and costing. We are aware that change will take place in costs and materials by the time the playspace is installed. Pragmatic project management will check and balance design aspirations against budget and supply.

It's best to construct playspaces before winter, so ideally the new playspace will be completed by mid-2022.

We are making plans to upgrade Moray Park in Papakōwhai in February/March 2021 and have heard your ideas about what we could include in the upgrade, and how you or your whānau use the space.

Moray Park FAQs

Ascot Park Playspace upgrade vote results!

Thank you for sending us your votes for the Ascot Park playground. We received 112 votes from the community and the preferred playground was Option 2, with 67%. Thank you for taking the time to vote for your favourite.

Ascot Park FAQs

Contact us

You can email parksfeedback@poriruacity.govt.nz or phone us on 04 237 5089 for more information on either of these planned upgrades.

We will use the feedback to inform the design brief of the upgrades.  If we have two preferred options following the design submissions, we will give you a chance to vote on your favourite design – so keep an eye out for a second survey in November!

The Moray Pl and Ascot Park upgrades are likely to include elements of natural play.

Thanks to the feedback we received from the public late in 2019, we have made changes to the design. You told us that the playground needs to cater for younger children, have challenging elements, can handle a number of kids at one time, not have loud musical items, but include bright, bold colours. We’re confident that this new design ticks all of those boxes after working very closely with our playground suppliers.

There’s a bit going on there and we’re mindful that you may have a few questions. You can always email parksfeedback@poriruacity.govt.nz or call us on 04 237 5089 if you have any queries.

After fantastic feedback from residents, we're pleased to see this playground being well-used. We made some minor changes to make the space extra special. See photos below.

The playground renewal is complete. The playground from a design view looks like this (see below). In the past six months, Bodmin Tce and Navigation Dr reserves have both had their playgrounds renewed.  Head over and check them out!