New $1.7m playground coming for Avondale

Publish Date : 09 Sep 2025
Avondale Central Reserve Playground
A temporary nature play area was set up after the old playground was removed at Avondale Central Reserve. Photo credit: T Hodder
  • Avondale Central Reserve will receive a new playground with $1.3m from Auckland Council’s Fix and Finish Fund and $400k from Whau Local Board.
  • The playground replaces the old one removed for Te Hono, Avondale’s new library, community hub, and town square.
  • The $20m Fix and Finish Fund supports partially funded community projects across Auckland, with 14 projects worth $57.3m approved this round.

A major upgrade to the Avondale Central Reserve playground has been secured, after the Governing Body approved Whau Local Board’s submission for funding through Auckland Council’s new Fix and Finish Fund.

Of the $1.7 million required for the upgrade, $1.3 million will come from Fix and Finish funding for design and construction, while Whau Local Board will contribute $400,000 towards the playground equipment.

Whau Local Board chair Kay Thomas says the funding approval helps future-proof the needs of Whau’s rapidly growing population.

“Avondale is one of the fastest-growing suburbs in Auckland with thousands of new homes already built or underway.”

“The old playground was outdated and unsafe, and it was removed to make way for the construction of Te Hono—Avondale’s new library, community hub, and upgraded town square.

“With Te Hono’s completion in 2027, and more high-density housing being built in Avondale, Avondale Central Reserve will become a key recreational hub for locals, who are in desperate need of high-quality public spaces that meet the needs of all whānau,” she says.

The Fix and Finish fund, established in the 2024–2034 Long-term Plan, supports partially funded community capital projects.

Council’s Governing Body approved the allocation of the $20 million fund to help projects that needed to be fixed or finished but did not have full funding.

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Projects ranged from sports fields, town centre streetscapes, equipment, facility refurbishment and infrastructure upgrades. It also identified opportunities to combine funding with local boards and third-party partners to maximise value.

Fourteen projects totalling $57.3m were submitted by local boards and assessed against criteria including being a local priority for renewal work or heading into the delivery phase. Approved projects will be integrated into departmental programmes, with quarterly reporting to local boards and the Governing Body.

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