The Playground that Love Built BY JULES BADGER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY DON HOGBEN & LT-COLONEL MILTON COLLINS
On Saturday 1 May, a shared community vision entered its next chapter when Mayor of Lower Hutt Campbell Barry officially opened Te Kōhanga Manaaki. Longstanding Petone Corps Plant supporter, Major Dorothy Nisbit, shared a prayer of blessing before a stream of tamariki (children) ‘cut the ribbon’ with their excited little bodies as they raced into the playscape for the first time. By the community, for the community
Values behind the vision
Envoy Stewart Irwin addressed those gathered at the opening. ‘There have been so very many people involved in the creation of this playscape—from little kids right through to those who have retired. This opening is a celebration and testament to how many hands are needed to make something significant. I am truly humbled when I think about what each of you has poured into this place—the hours of work, the great conversations and the many encouraging words that have been exchanged. This is a project by the community, for the community.’ Located in Lower Hutt, at the Petone Salvation Army on the corner of Cuba and High Streets, the playscape has been four years in the making. When centre leaders, Envoys Collette and Stewart Irwin, first joined the Petone Corps Plant whānau in 2016, they entered into a conversation about how the green space on the corps property could best be used to benefit the community. Stew explains that, ‘back when this was a chunk of relatively empty land, we asked the question: “What could this be?” We listened closely as we talked with our neighbors about what could be the best use of the land. We heard that there was a need for an area specially designed for those aged under-five years old. We then asked those preschoolers what they would like in a playground and, with some help, put together a playscape design.’
From the outset, the workers behind the playscape vision were influenced by some key values. As these values were developed, they resonated in a way that drew more and more people into owning the vision and investing their time, energy, resources, skills and passion into the project. These rudder-like values are printed on the signage at the entrance to the playscape for all to see, and Stew reiterated those values during the opening. ‘Values that have been important to us during this journey are: we are environmentally responsible; we will be inclusive—so all can be involved, because the playground caters to different skills and abilities (including those differently-abled); the playscape will be developmentally appropriate and under-fiveyear-old kids can be nurtured, extended and cared for; the playscape is restorative and promotes healthy relationships between kids and kids, kids and adults, and people and their world around them; that it is creative—a place where kids can play and be as creative and imaginative as possible with the playscape supporting this creativity.’ The playscape features a covered sandpit cleverly disguised as a wharenui (meeting house), complete with stunning safety-proof ‘stained glass windows’, a set of preschool safety swings, two slides, two small climbing walls, a hobbit house
14 WarCry 29 MAY 2021