School gets playground funds

"It's just nice we're going to be able to do something nice for the kids."

Perrie Topia,

Principal

Kids at a Waitara school will be in for a treat when a shiny new playground replaces their dilapidated one.

Waitara East School applied to the New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) for funding for a new playground and has been granted $30,000 towards it.

Principal Perrie Topia said the school was thrilled by the grant.

‘‘It’s just nice we’re going to be able to do something nice for the kids.’’

He said the current playground was old and run down.

‘‘Our 21-year-old school playground has become unsafe for use due to time, sea spray and excessive use.

‘‘It is in dire need of replacement,’’

the school wrote in their application to the trust.

The old playground, which is also used outside of school hours by the Waitara community, is the only playground on the eastern side of the Waitara River.

The decile two school was in a low socio-economic area and wasn’t in a position to pay for a

new playground, the school said.

It hoped the new playground would give the kids ‘‘access to quality play facilities to help develop fine and gross motor skills’’ and enhance their learning ‘‘through play, co-operative play, team building and endurance’’.

Topia, who only started at the school 10 weeks ago, said deputy principal Luke Mattock was the driving force behind the school’s application to the trust.

The NZCT Regional Advisory Committee recommended funding the playground because it was a low-decile school and other community members would also benefit from it.

‘‘At NZCT, our passion is to help get people, especially young people, involved in sport and physical activity,’’ a spokesperson said.