Massive $5.5m playground plan
A massive $5.5 million playground planned for New Plymouth’s foreshore will be one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and cater for all ages, from grandparents to toddlers.
Dubbed Destination Play, the facility at the Kāwaroa play area is designed to be a ‘‘regional destination’’, with construction scheduled to begin early next year.
Announced on Monday afternoon, the project, when completed, will cover 22,000 m2, making it nine times the size of the playground it will replace.
Not only that, the proposed play area is 35% bigger than the 16,343 m2 Margaret Mahy playground in Christchurch, said to be the largest playground south of the equator when it was built in 2018.
The play area will feature 12 themed zones and include steps to the Kawaroa reef, giving access to hundreds of square metres of rock pools.
The project is being led by the philanthropic Taranaki Foundation, in partnership with New Plymouth District Council which is managing the construction and Ngāti Te Whiti, who have mana whenua over the land.
Taranaki Foundation chief executive Josh Hickford said 65% of the cost of the project had already been secured, including $1m from the Toi Foundation, $400,000 from the New Zealand Community Trust, $600,00 from the council, and $700,000 from the Foundation itself, a contribution they planned to increase.
The remaining 35% was being raised through ‘‘public and philanthropic donations, sponsorship and other channels’’.
Kāwaroa Park is historically significant to the people of Ngāmotu/New Plymouth, being one of the first areas inhabited by Ngāti Te Whiti, and the development would honour that connection to the land through stories from Ngāti Te Whiti and Te Atiawa, Ngāti Te Whiti Hapu chair Julie Healey said.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.