Marine themed Havelock playground a winner with locals
Havelock Domain’s new playground is a finalist at the Recreation Aotearoa Green Pavlova 2024 Parks Awards.
The playground, a finalist in the Playspace of the Year under $500,000 category, opened in March and features a uniquely ‘Havelock’ flavour which has been a winner with locals.
The goal of the new design, which replaced the former run-down playground, was to create a space catering to people of all ages and abilities, Parks and Open Spaces Officer Kiri Whiteman said.
"The old playground was tired and with only one green space in Havelock, we wanted to make sure it could be enjoyed by all,” she said. "Because we live in the Greenshell Mussel capital of the world, we also wanted to pay tribute to our unique claim to fame, which we have done through boat and mussel-themed play equipment.”
The playground was designed and built by Playco Playgrounds, who made smart use of the small area available to make it user-friendly for all, including wheelchair users and those using walking frames.
Generous spacing between equipment and soft matting underfoot makes the area kinder for those with disabilities.
A final piece of the playground which is yet to arrive is a bilingual communication board - a sheet of symbols and pictures a person can point to, helping them to communicate with others around them. They are useful for people with autism, those recovering from stroke or brain injury and people with ALS and learning disabilities.
The whole playground is fully fenced and has new shade sails. It also features a handball court and cornhole board, with beanbags made by the Red Cross Refuge sewing circle using recycled street banners.
When planning the playground, the Parks and Open Spaces team visited students at Havelock School, who put together a wish list that formed the basis for the project brief.
“The kids are loving their new playground - we’ve had some amazing feedback from them so far,” Kiri said.
Category winners will be announced at the Recreation Aotearoa awards evening on 31 May.