Recent enhancements made to the Ngāti Ōtara Park playground have transformed the area into an epic adventure hub, with locals all invited to celebrate at an opening on Saturday 23 March.
With the playground overdue a refresh, Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board allocated $700,000 to the playground and $390,000 to upgrade the netball and basketball courts. The project took 10 weeks to complete with a blessing held earlier in the year in January.
“This local board worked hard to get the club rooms renewed, which was part of a $6.4million upgrade back in 2021. Of course, the playground also needed to be looked at. The park is well known for hosting numerous sporting events, community gatherings, and is well loved by our families”, says board chair Apulu Reece Autagavaia.
The park serves as a vital link between Ōtara Town Centre, the Manukau Institute of Technology, and the residential area at the end of Ōtara Road.
The playground equipment was sourced here in Aotearoa and now includes:
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Tower
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Flying Fox
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Agility and balancing equipment
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High swings
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Fencing with gate
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Carousel
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Children playspace
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New shades.
A maintenance team will regularly attend the playground to aid in its upkeep, while a fully fenced perimeter helps prevent children from running onto the road.
Apulu says, “The new play equipment is a significant step up from the old, and we can't wait for our community and for those traveling outside of our area for Saturday games, to make the most of it.”
The new look of Ngāti Ōtara Park playground.
Other parts of the project included enhancements to the netball and basketball courts. The netball courts had to be shut down because of significant cracks on the surface, posing a health and safety risk.
Apulu adds, “Along with improving the playground, the board also renewed the netball courts at Ngāti Ōtara Park. The courts were in such a bad state for many years, that it was often used as additional car park for sports events at the park. We are proud to be providing new fit for purpose facilities for our community. Our families deserve it.”
As a result, the central fence of the courts was taken out, new drainage and fencing gates were put in place, and the courts underwent resurfacing and new line marking.
Ngāti Ōtara park is a large sports park with coastal access and extensive walking tracks amongst mature trees, is a popular venue for local sports games, and is part of the multi-sport centre that was opened in 2021.
Ngāti Ōtara Park playground opening: Saturday 23 March, 100 Otara Road, 10am – 12pm. Free ice creams, sausage sizzle, kids’ entertainment, face painting and hungerball.
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