Community was at the heart of every aspect of the project.

The vision for a destination playground and the CPlay committee originated from community volunteers.
CPlay engaged mana whenua early, who recommended a representative to CPlay who became a core part of our design team.

Before fundraising, or design, CPlay held over 30 meetings with community representatives. These were blue skies conversations around community needs and wants that informed our design principles. Conversations were with health, youth, education, cultural, sports, arts and heritage, age concern, disability, families, children, tourism, business, service clubs and more. Many relationships continued through our years long project. Some highlights originating from engagement included:

• Mana whenua representative gifting a taniwha design for the playground surfacing.
• Three local iwi approving the replication of rock art imagery in a gathering area (this replication is a first for a free public space in South Canterbury).
• Secondary school children told us playgrounds weren’t challenging. They sought difficulty and competition. This led to a floor is lava obstacle course – an instant hit that bought older children back to playing.
• Child health specialists and families with members with disability talked about inclusiveness – not just doing the minimum, but integrating inclusivity into all design. This led to flat, flush surfacing; numerous inclusive/accessible play items; integrated play so all abilities play together; wheelchair access to a large-scale bespoke item (the shipwreck deck).
• Including AAC Communication signage –  a first for a South Canterbury public space.
• Including art and education, linking school curriculum and local history into play, enabling out of classroom learning.
• Installing a collage of children’s artworks in collaboration with the local art gallery.  

We attended (with displays), events like children’s day and weekend markets. We ran surveys with hundreds of respondents, held radio interviews, hosted fun days and events to celebrate project milestones.

Our volunteers maintained a website which also included local history research that has become a valuable community resource. Our Facebook page is extremely popular with thousands of interactions across the span of our project.

In construction, we used local contractors for landscaping, some play items, painting, seating, shade and more. When the playground opened, we supplied a feedback form enabling the public to share their experiences.  

There is no part of this playground untouched by the community. The community feels a sense of belonging and an ownership of the space.

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It was important to know our audience, so we could wear their shoes and make sure the playground was what they needed and wanted. 

 

By working with a wide group of people, we could pull together a wide range of problems and solutions to consider for the playgrounds brief. It was important to be open to the development of ideas rather than too rigid in our preconceived ideas. Getting the community on board was a lot of work for our team, but was really easy with our community because the agenda was unanimous, we wanted to created something helpful for our kids. We couldn't have created what we have, if we hadn't had a big team effort. We reached out to experts who saw issues day to day with the people they worked with, like parents, child physiologists, educators, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, doctors, Timaru District Council facility managers and staff of the parks department, property managers, gallery, library, museum staff etc... We also listened to those who have the lived experience to understand what their barriers to play were, and what they needed to be able to participate, and to elevate their play. There were small details that could make a big difference that we strived to incorporate into the playgrounds design so it was fun, accessible, challenging and meaningful.

 

Ways we were able to listen to inform the brief

Volunteers shared concept plans with the community at public events and meetings to refine the themes, and define the needs and wants of the people who would use and benefit from the new play space. A representative from mana whenua Arowhenua the marae of the area joined the volunteer team to ensure meaningful culture inclusion and story sharing. Bringing the community on the journey from the start ensured that the brief was formed by what they wanted and needed from the outset. 

We held many meetings, guest spoke to clubs and societies, visited schools, talked to as many people as we could to understand who our playground visitors would be and be able to wear their shoes when making decisions.

By involving the community in the planning and decision-making process, we helped to foster a sense of ownership, unity, and shared vision for the project, resulting in a playground that truly reflected the values and preferences of the people it created to serve. And making the space achieve our cornerstone goals; fun, accessible, challenging and meaningful.

 

"When designing for community facilities, cultural identity is key element to informing the design aesthetic. It allows for functionality to marry with cultural expression that can result in a richness in the experience of the spaces that is often absent in a ‘cut and paste’ approach of a style. I believe the CPlay design team have achieved that richness. The introduction of the design team almost sounds like a start of a joke – “what do you get when you mix an Engineer, an Artist, a Scientist and an Architect?” But the answer isn’t the expected “unbuildable expensive eyesore” - but a playground that not only acts as a play spaces that tell the story of the people of our region. The story of the formation of the land is expressed through the lava floor in the Parkour area. Pakeha history is told through the ship wreck and lighthouse play equipment along with the story of the Rocket Brigade through the flying fox. The junior area of the playground encompasses the iki tuna eel area and the ‘Whare’ play structure which highlights the importance of the area to the local Maori for gathering kai in the past. The Whare structure was inspired by the pole structures often associated with Pataka food houses. The crawl tunnels and climbing net evoke the Kinaki eel traps. Over the swale the eel balance beams and Mokihi canoe inspired sea-saw." - CPlay Volunteer John Rushton (Architect)

 

We aimed to create a sense of belonging and solidarity among community members by promoting inclusivity, celebrating diversity.

 

We got out and made sure we could connect to people at community events.

 

CPlay's Rose Festival stand in 2019 - Photography By Roselyn Fauth

 

CPlay held regular meetings with Timaru District Council to ensure a formal relationship, sharing of ideas and resource. They also sent regular E-newsletters to help keep their stakeholders and supporters informed. 

Aoraki Foundation were the registered charity who accepted donations on CPlay's behalf and provided the administration to donors and accountability.

Volunteers relied on the knowledge and skill of the professionals to ensure that equipment was functional, fun, meaningful, practical and worked to New Zealand's safety standards for public playgrounds. Playground Centre also supplied and provided the construction of equipment to check compliance through out the builds.

 

Had many design meetings with our equipment providers Playground Centre. Covid made is a little harder, but Zoom helped us meet regularly.

CPlay Design team collaborating with the Playground Centre. 

 

We put together lots of information in a variety of ways to appeal to a wide audience. We had limited marketing budget so we had to be creative with out we went about this. The generosity of our committee and community helped us get there.

 

Francine Spencer is Interviewed by Ash Ronald to create promotional material - Photo Roselyn Fauth

 

 

 

The team behind an ambitious project to build a new $2 million playground at Caroline Bay has unveiled its concept plans which reflect the maritime heritage of the area. The CPlay committee unveiled its concept for the playground in front of about 70 invited guests at a function in Timaru on Monday night. Committee member Owen Jackson said the new playground would offer a well-designed, accessible destination - replacing the current playground at Caroline Bay which was built in about 1970. Some aspects of the existing playground would remain in place, with the new playground featuring a shipwreck, lighthouse with slides and a flying fox. - Timaru Herald

 

 

Examples of Facebook surveys

Asking people what they wanted to see re-installed in the new playground

 

Our community told us they wanted to see our history reflected in the playground themes.

 

Feedback on colour schemes

 

 

We assumed people would give us their colour preference, but what we learnt was that people with poor vision wanted contrasting pops of colour to help them navigate. And people could be sensitive to bright reflective surfaces. So we chose yellow as our accent colour to help those with poor vision. And instead of choosing a traditional black white for the lighthouse, we opted for a quarter Spanish white to reduce the glare and reflectiveness. 

 

CPlay's involved the community and stakeholders to help ensure that the new public playground project was a collaborative effort reflecting diverse perspectives and meeting the needs of all residents and visitors.

 

• Ownership and Pride: Community involvement fostered a sense of ownership and pride in the playground, encouraging long-term commitment to its maintenance and upkeep.

• Inclusivity: By involving diverse stakeholders, we created an inclusive playground accessible to everyone, promoting a sense of belonging for all community members.

• Maximized Benefits: Community input identified additional amenities, maximizing the playground's benefits and appeal to the community.

• Collaboration and Support: Active community involvement facilitated collaboration and garnered support, leading to the successful implementation of the playground project.

• Transparency and Trust: Community engagement promoted transparency and trust, ensuring that the project aligned with community priorities and values.

Overall, involving the community and stakeholders when creating a new public playground ensures that the project reflects the community's values, promotes inclusivity, maximizes benefits, fosters collaboration, and builds trust and ownership among residents.

 

Volunteer-Led Success: How Community Leadership Transformed Our Playground Project

 

• Community Ownership: Their efforts fostered a sense of ownership and pride within the community, ensuring residents felt connected to the project.
• Resource Mobilization: Volunteers leveraged community resources effectively, maximizing the project's impact while minimizing costs.
• Inclusivity: Their leadership ensured diverse community voices were heard, resulting in a playground that met the needs of all residents.
• Community Building: Collaborating on the project strengthened social bonds and promoted a culture of cooperation within the neighborhood.
• Empowerment: Volunteering empowered individuals to make a positive difference, developing leadership skills and contributing to a meaningful project.
• Sustainability: Volunteers established maintenance plans and organized community support, ensuring the playground remained a vibrant asset for years to come.

 

Alice Brice's live video to encourage community to submit to the Timaru District Councils long term plan. By getting CPlay on the list, we could access council funding contribution.

 

 

It was important for CPlay to have local experts endorse and advocate for the playground project. They gave us information, advice to shape our brief, and endorsement on how they could see how quality play could impact the lives of the people they worked with and for. This was important for:

• Credibility: Endorsement from local experts lent credibility to the project, reassuring the community of its quality and legitimacy.
• Expertise: Local experts provided valuable insights and expertise, ensuring the project met the needs and preferences of the community.
• Community Support: Advocacy from local experts helped garner support from the community, encouraging participation and engagement in the project.
• Networking: Their endorsement facilitated networking opportunities, connecting CPlay with other stakeholders and potential partners to further support the project.
• Education: Local experts educated the community about the benefits of the playground project, addressing any concerns and misconceptions that arose.
• Promotion: Their advocacy helped promote the project to a wider audience, increasing awareness and generating excitement within the community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Owen 'OJ' Jackson and Roselyn Fauth talk about a proposed $1.5m Caroline Bay playground upgrade.

 

C-Play Playground Upgrade Project committee members, from left, Owen 'OJ' Jackson, Roselyn Fauth, and Leanne Prendeville with a box of public feedback surveys for the proposed $1.5million Caroline Bay playground upgrade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the many posters we put up around the District to raise awareness of the project. This was during Covid, which brought lots of challenges.

 

 

Community got stuck in to help fundraise for us including the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce who raised $18,000. Their members purchased and donated prizes for the auction to support the local business community through covid lock downs.

 

 

We gave certificates to our donors

 

Sharing project information and collecting donations at public events

 

We kept the community up to date with status of our fundraising

Fundraising updates via Timaru Courier - a free weekly newspaper that is delivered to peoples mailboxes from the Rangitata River in the north to the Waitaki River in the south covering Timaru City, 11 towns and RD's between and the McKenzie Basin - circulation of 27,000.

 

 

Owen Jackson talking about the CPlay project on the Breeze radio

 

CPlay Playground Upgrade Project committee member Owen Jackson hopes the community will continue to contribute to the new playground at Caroline Bay. Owen Jackson had a massive list of prospective donors and did a huge amount of door knocking to help raise funds.

 

 

Had a trailer billboard that we moved around town, the design was donated by Roselyn Fauth, materials and signwriting by Branded Kiwi and the trailer was donated by Todd Mudie Group. 

 

 

 

Supporting journalists with their articles

 

Large Billboard at the playground to promote the project. Photo with the MP at the time Jo Luxton. Forest Boher, Roselyn Fauth shifted it to the security fences ready for the construction to start. The design was donated by Roselyn Fauth, materials and signwriting by Branded Kiwi  

 

And when we reached milestones we held public events to celebrate.

 

 

Ecamples of our print media, the design was donated and the adverts costs were sponsored.