Tamariki at Port Waikato’s Te Kohanga School have new play space that encourages creativity and imagination, thanks to Mitre 10.
“Most of our 30-40 students have it pretty tough. Many have periods of time in and out of school, and very few of our families own their own home. Some are living on iwi land, in temporary housing, or with grandparents,” says Robyn Driver, principal at Te Kohanga School.
“Our current playground, built by parents in the early 1990s offers limited excitement or challenge for our students.”
The small low-decile rural school has a fluctuating roll and serves a small community spread across a wide area, with teachers dedicated to their pupils and large open spaces in beautiful natural surroundings.
Rather than a standard playground rebuild, Te Kohanga’s request was a little different. It wanted a multi-purpose area that would inspire imaginative play and encourage the children to experiment, discover and learn. The new play space includes fixed musical instruments, a small deck that can be used as a stage, a basket swing, a sandpit to play with tools in and more.