Flaxmere Skate Plaza design elements to reflect local culture and environment

Four months in, and construction of the new Flaxmere skate plaza is well under way. Photo / Supplied

Construction of the new Flaxmere Skate Plaza is well under way, with unique features, including design elements representing the local area.

The skate park design is based on the whakapapa of the Ngaruroro River, with multiple strands of the river converging into a single strand around the plaza site.

The Ngaruroro River's path was altered significantly due to a flood in the late 1800s that diverted the river to its current path.

RICH Landscapes owner Richard Smith and his team have designed the skate plaza, one of more than 100 skate and play facilities the company has designed across the country and beyond.

Smith said that among its 20-plus elements, the Flaxmere design includes a unique flow bowl and a variety of street features.

"We are also working directly with Ngāti Kahungunu and Pasifika artists to bring in their design narrative and features," he said.

These design elements are being developed by the artist collective Iwi Toi Kahungunu, led by Alex Heperi and Wilray Price, in response to input from a working group made up of Flaxmere students who were involved in the early planning process.

In a presentation to the council last year, the group, made up of representatives from all Flaxmere schools, asked that the skate plaza be a welcoming and comfortable space for whānau that strongly reflected the culture of Pā Harakeke or Flaxmere.

The artists have chosen materials with an industrial aesthetic and design elements of waka and traditional Polynesian voyaging vessels and items.

Further design elements will reflect Pā Harakeke, the original name for Flaxmere, in the likes of the balustrade designs and the forms of the pou and waharoa.

The waharoa or entranceway will be a contemporary design that reflects the area's history and its modern-day use, made from laser-cut corten steel panels.

A central three-metre high pou will also be made from corten steel, laser cut to create a lightbox effect in the centre of the skate area.

Natural plantings will pay homage to the harakeke plants that grew in abundance along the riverbanks.

The input of the youth working group was not limited to cultural elements, they were also involved in planning the flow of the skate plaza, asking to have shade for it to be a place where parents would enjoy spending time They also asked for the park to be fenced, smoke, drug and alcohol-free, and have a kaitiaki, like the William Nelson Skate Park.

The plan is to complete the plaza and make it ready for use by the end of this year.