Community-led review activates play-friendly spaces for tamariki in the Bay of Plenty

A community-led review of play opportunities within Bay of Plenty (BOP) neighbourhoods has motivated the inclusion of more vibrant play-friendly spaces for our tamariki to explore and a grow a sense of belonging to.

This review is part of a Sport New Zealand initiative called the Neighbourhood Play System (NPS), which aims to understand how tamariki experience their neighbourhoods, and gain insights to develop safe, accessible play opportunities and child-friendly urban environments.

The NPS initiative is a community-led approach which combines local tamariki’s perspectives from field-research, and adult viewpoints from interviews with school staff and local community groups. Research included children taking part in activities like drawing their home-to-school journey, recreating favourite play memories, and documenting neighbourhood features. This information provided a comprehensive understanding of how children experience their neighbourhoods and the perceived barriers and opportunities for play.

Sport Bay of Plenty has implemented two Neighbourhood Play System projects so far. The first was with Western Heights and Aorangi Primary Schools in Rotorua during 2021-2022. The success in Rotorua led to a similar project in 2023 at Merivale School (Te Kura O Tūtarawānanga) in Tauranga. Both were identified as neighbourhoods that required community engagement to guide future investment in play-friendly environments.

The NPS project identified there were no perceivable ‘play on the way’ activities currently in place in these suburbs for tamariki on their journey to school. As a result, positive changes have been made in the neighbourhood around Aorangi School in Rotorua, and Merivale School (Te Kura o Tūtarawānanga) in Tauranga, to encourage tamariki to ‘play on the way’ to school.

Students themselves identified several opportunities to change the vibe of alleyways by the schools through planting, painting, and adding ‘play on the way’ activities. One alleyway that was identified in Rotorua saw an improved sense of safety and cheerfulness via a brightly painted throughfare to Aorangi School that includes play stencils painted on the footpath.

Play stencils include anything from hopscotch, mazes, and animal footprints to encourage fun movement as users hop along the pathway. The stencils leave an arena for tamariki to enthusiastically explore the possibilities of how to interact with them.

Following the rollout in Rotorua, play stencils were then utilised at Merivale School (Te Kura o Tūtarawānanga) to refresh play opportunities in the school and adjacent walkway area.

Play stencils have now proven to be a game-changer in activating spaces for children’s play. Thanks to the enthusiasm from local councils in supporting their implementation, stencils are now being used in various locations across the BOP, specifically the Western Bay of Plenty, including outside the BayWave Aquatic Centre, BayPark stadium, Memorial Park, at the Mount Main Street i-Site, Arataki Community Centre, Waipuna Community Centre, and within multiple schools.

Sport Bay of Plenty Regional Play System Lead Steph Reichardt says “The NPS project has been instrumental in evolving our own and the communities’ understanding of play, and influencing council strategies and decision-making.”

Steph also highlights that future projects will continue to be stimulated by a locally- led approach.

“This means that the initiatives will be driven by local insights and expertise, ensuring that the projects are tailored to meet the unique needs and aspirations of the community. By doing so, the projects will not only be more effective and sustainable, but they will also foster a sense of ownership and pride among the local population.”

“We have received such supportive feedback about the stencils and the way community are engaging with them, I don't think there are many adults who can resist the urge to hop through a hopscotch!”

For more information about the Neighbourhood Play System project, please visit the Sport New Zealand website.