Lorna Irene Drive Reserve playground in Raumati South. Photo: Supplied / Kāpiti Coast District Council
Kāpiti Coast District Council says it's thrilled to have won Playground of the Year with its newly updated Lorna Irene Drive Reserve playground in Raumati South.
"We're pretty chuffed to see our work recognised - especially as some of the projects we were up against had more than six times our budget," said parks open space and environment manager Gareth Eloff.
The playground, which was completed in February, includes New Zealand's first wheelchair seesaw, other wheelchair-accessible equipment including a roundabout and tower, sensory play opportunities, and a safe space for all to enjoy.
New Zealand's first wheelchair accessible seesaw, at Lorna Irena Playground in Raumati South. Photo: Supplied / Kāpiti Coast District Council
Place and space marketing manager Sonja Williams said: "It's been a wonderful collaborative journey with our community, with our playground designers and for the council to be able to deliver a fully inclusive and accessible playground."
She said around the same time as they were starting the consultation for the revamp of the original playground, there was a family in the community fundraising for an accessible swing.
The Dahl family, whose son Cyrus has cerebral palsy, raised funds for seven inclusive swings and donated one to the Lorna Irene playground.
The catalyst for including accessibility features into the playground design came from a family living near the park.
Williams said the council recognised the importance of wheelchair access and mobility-friendly equipment for families in the community like the Edmonds, whose son Kash also has cerebral palsy.
She said the council worked with Kash and his family to understand what would work for them.
"Kash actually created his ideal playground wish list, and we took that and used that as part of our basis for what we created."
Williams said the playground has had lots of visitors as it is one of the few fully accessible playgrounds in the country.
"Making a space fully accessible and inclusive actually means that you make the space available for more people," she said. "It doesn't decrease playability; it increases it."
It's something that will make a big difference to families like Kash's.
"Kash has a brother and a sister, and now they can play together on all of the equipment, which wasn't possible before," Williams said.
