“At each school, teachers brought their classrooms through our voting booth, where tamariki could view enlarged versions of each design and vote for their favourite.
“Following the school visits, we took the voting booth to JAB rugby at Waikirikiri Park, repeating the same process.
“One in 10 residents responded to the survey, which we see as a significant achievement.”
As a result of this process, nearly 70 percent of voters were under 20, 64 percent were Kaiti residents and 69 percent were under the age of 20.
The consultation focused on the preference of Kaiti residents and Kaiti youth.
Across all demographic breakdowns, option 3 was the preference among voters.
The results from all voters were, option 3, 53.9 percent; option 1, 37.2 percent; option 2, 8.9 percent.
“We’re trying to create a space that young people want to use and for which we feel a sense of ownership.
“By providing our tamariki with a platform to design their playground, they’ve come up with amazing ideas, input and solutions for the space,” said Mrs Turuwhenua-Tapsell,
“It’s a good reminder that young people have a lot to contribute to the development of their community, and we need to make opportunities to give them a voice.”
n Additional to the construction of the playground, the community has shown interest in creating artworks to tell some of the rich history of Waikirikiri Park.
Twenty-five community members have volunteered their time and skills to the project, which will aim to immortalise the stories of the playground’s original founders, the park’s history with local iwi and the social significance of the space to today’s residents.
Pou/whakairo/carvings and murals were the most demanded art forms in the recent community survey.
