Whanganui's Playground Centre builds play equipment for countries around world

Playground Centre staff - Cameron Boyd, Darren Hight, Jaime O'Keeffe, Shannon White, Hamish Smith, Tyler Timmins, Holly Belgrave, Nigel Jermy, Dan Timmins and Simon Filleul. Photo / Bevan Conley

From a large building in Whanganui's Heads Rd, a team of staff aim to radiate fun all over the world.

Playground Centre makes about one playground a week and sends them all over New Zealand and to more than 20 other countries, including Singapore, Dubai, Kenya and Romania.

The company, which also has offices in Melbourne and Perth, says its playgrounds are places for fun, wellbeing, socialising and fitness.

"We are all big kids," chief executive Simon Filleul said.

The 40-plus staff go on road trips to see what they have made.

"We test the slides and swings and make sure they go. It's always cool to see it come to life," sales manager Dan Timmins said.

The centre provides equipment for neighbourhood parks - the swings and slides people walk to. But most of its clients are councils and schools and it also makes "destination playgrounds".

Some have cost more than $1 million.

A playground the centre made at Takapuna Beach in Auckland had transformed the whole area, Timmins said.

It seemed now more car parks and shops selling food and drink were needed in the area.

Marton's Te Āhuru Mōwai o Tutaeporoporo is a destination playground. Photo / supplied

A destination playground needs an "anchor piece". For Te Āhuru Mōwai o Tutaeporoporo, the playground that opened in Marton in April, the anchor was a large tower.

Often the client wants something not found in the next town. Playground Centre makes equipment for playing with sand and water, basket swings that hold several children, push-button electronic equipment, trampolines, skate and bike parks, and musical instruments.

"We are quite regularly doing New Zealand firsts. It keeps everyone engaged," Filleul said.

Its ninja warrior playground in Melbourne is a hit with the council, and it makes fitness equipment suitable for people of any size and capable of giving a full body workout.

"Not everyone can afford gyms."

Every piece has to be tough, safe and vandal-proof, and it has to be engaging and challenging. A smaller, complementary business, Urban Effects, makes benches, barbecues, bike racks and shade shelters.

Playground Centre staff begin by asking what the client wants, and then designing the space. Most of the equipment is made in its Whanganui factory, and installed by staff or partners.

The Takapuna Beach playground has a tower connected to a rope tunnel. Photo / supplied

The timber, plastic, steel and other materials mostly come out of this region, with plastic moulded in Manawatū, hardwood from Australia and rope climbing structures imported from Europe.

"We get a lot of repeat business with existing relationships," Timmins said.

Whanganui doesn't have many examples of the centre's work, but it is working to repair the flying fox at Kowhai Park.

"There's not a lot of change there, not since the skatepark. There's so much space they could add some items to revitalise it," Timmins said.

Playground Centre was started in 1990, in Auckland, by Denys Filleul. He moved it to Whanganui in 1993, buying the site where Humes had manufactured concrete pipes.

The move was made for personal reasons, son Simon Filleul said, and because Whanganui was a good place to bring up a family.