Client: Christchurch City Council & Te Kōmanawa Rowley School, 2025.

At Hoon Hay Park, Year 6 tamariki from Te Kōmanawa Rowley School took part in the design of a new play environment for the park, working alongside designers, educators, and council staff over a six-month period. Based mainly at their school, just a short walk from the park itself, the students explored the site through visits, storytelling, drawing, model-making, and prototyping, gradually developing ideas shaped by the park’s wetland history and the ways children move and play together.

Rather than responding to a pre-determined design, the students contributed throughout the process. They helped develop the project brief, tested ideas through models and full-scale prototypes, and presented their thinking to the Community Board for approval.

The emerging play environment, named Pakiaka (tree root), reflects both the forms developed through the design process and the ways children instinctively play. Inspired by the branching and interconnected nature of roots, the first stage introduces a new play element that integrates with the existing playground, forming part of a larger looping play experience that will continue to develop over time. Because local children helped shape the project from the beginning, the space carries a strong sense of familiarity, connection, and community ownership.

Tamariki Design and Build a Christchurch Playground - Sport NZ, March 2026

Local students bring fresh ideas to Hoon Hay Park - CCC Newsline, Jan 2026