Playgrounds closed due to mulch issue

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Playgrounds at Kaiti Beach and the Botanical Gardens are out of bounds over the school holidays.

Gisborne District Council staff discovered

rough-edged woody debris in the recently laid softfall material (playground mulch) at both locations early last week during a routine playground audit.

“As a result, we had to immediately close the playgrounds,” GDC liveable spaces director Michèle Frey said.

“Council and an independent safety specialist are working closely with the softfall supplier to resolve the issue after a fault was identified in the supplier’s processing plant that led to oversized pieces of wood shards contaminating the supply.

“The playgrounds will likely remain closed until remedial work has been completed to make the playgrounds safe,” Ms Frey said.

“We are extremely disappointed in this situation and realise this is also deeply frustrating for the public given it’s school holidays and the good weather we’re currently experiencing. But to ensure the safety of everyone, we will have to keep these playgrounds closed until the issue is resolved.

“However, we do encourage our community to explore some of the other open spaces in our city such as the Lions Junior Cycle Park, the skate park, Adventure Playground, Olympic Pool, or our fantastic free winter holiday activities at the library.”