Playground celebrated in Mangakino

25 June 2014

A community's drive to create a better neighbourhood for its children has seen the creation of a new playground in Mangakino.

The project was led by the neighbours of Huamai Street following the creation of neighbourhood relationships through the Mangakino Community-Led Development programme. The programme is a government-funded initiative that aims to connect neighbourhoods and encourage them to lead their own projects.

Finished in December, the playground was the result of a lot of hard work and collaboration by the community with help from Taupo District Council. The council was approached by the community and asked if some vacant council land could be used to build a playground, and the council agreed.

The majority of the project was funded by a grant of $40,000 from TrustPower and the rest was fundraised by the community.

Mayor David Trewavas congratulated the neighbours on the playground and said it was a fantastic example of what people could achieve by working together. I hope this encourages other communities to set goals for what they want in their neighbourhoods and strive to achieve them, he said. This is the kind of thing that brings people together and makes for safer, livelier communities.

Huamai Street resident Hinehuirangi Reti said people from the whole street helped with the project, including holidaymakers who only visited a few times a year. It was a bit of a vision because there was nothing here and we have a lot of young kids on our street, she said. The organisers expressed their pride in the playground and said the community's children and parents were embracing it.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lisa Nairne Communications Manager 07 376 0762 027 839 8410

Vicki Waterhouse Communications Advisor 07 376 0718 027 484 2549

Taupo District Council

www.taupo.govt.nz