Pong in city parks

Gathering around a table is a pretty good way to get to know people, but an Auckland trio is pushing the concept out a bit further.

The three are promoting ping-pong games in the city's parks as a way for big-city dwellers to meet and get to know their neighbours.

While travelling, Marieke Numan, Emily Clark and Richard Hawke saw public ping-pong tables - usually concrete - set up in parks and squares throughout Spain, Berlin, China and Australia so that residents can take along their own bats and balls and play.

They think the idea could catch on here, help make better use of our parks, and break down a few of those inner-city social barriers.

"We want the game of table tennis to become a vehicle for people to come and utilise these spaces and meet new people," says Richard, a law clerk by day.

"Overseas, table tennis is really big. I was in Copenhagen with my dad and there was just a streak of table tennis tables lined up. It became a way of engaging with the locals.

"It's done so well overseas. But here, people tend to just use parks to run around rather than spend time in."

The group got hold of three table tennis tables and ran "Ping Pong Park" events in Western Park, Ponsonby.

"We chose it because there's a lot of foot traffic," says Marieke, who has been involved in staging Music in Parks and Movies in Parks with the council.

"We had someone come back with a picnic and to play. The thing we noticed was how varied the people were. I played a 75-year-old guy ... we had kids as young as 4."

The Western Park events attracted about 70 people each Saturday afternoon. "There is the ball versus wind factor, but that's just part of the challenge," Marieke says.

Emily, who works in council planning, says passers-by stopped, watched, took part and met new people.

"We had parents stopping with their kids, strangers who were playing just started talking to each other. Suddenly the whole space was being used. It became more about the people, it didn't matter what the game was. We have amazing parks in Auckland and we don't make enough use of them."

They've found one public concrete table in Auckland - in the secluded green space behind Mt Albert's War Memorial Hall and keenly demonstrate their passion to The Aucklander. That table was set up under a 2008 Community Board initiative.

The trio has researched how Melbourne-based groups got permanent equipment into a city park and plans to ask Auckland's local boards to play the game, too.

Ping Pong Parks

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  Concrete tables have been installed in parks across the US
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  Ping! England has been granted $NZ 500,000 to install tables around the UK
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  A Melbourne local council bought a table worth $NZ 20,000 for a park after locals set up a Facebook page suggesting it
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  Auckland's Ping Pong Park Facebook page