Teenagers to appear in court after fatal road-rage attack, why petrol taxes could be returning and another step toward recovery in Napier in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald
Christchurch’s mayor has stepped in to replace a disability swing stolen from a playground popular with disabled children.
The theft drew social media attention after New Brighton’s Rāwhiti Domain authorities requested information on the suspicious disappearance.
A number of native trees, of which 80,000 were recently planted on the grounds, have also been recently stolen.
A number of native trees, of which 80,000 were recently planted on the grounds, have also been recently stolen. Photo / NZME
It was an act that so tugged the heartstrings of mayor Phil Mauger that he ordered his foundation, the Mauger Foundation, to fund a replacement swing.
Mauger’s construction company funded the initial construction of the playground several years ago.
Cathy Baker, chairperson of Guardians of Rāwhiti Domain, discovered the disability nest swing had been swiped on Thursday when she visited the park at the same time as a local school.
The school consisted of several disabled children and she said the realisation they wouldn’t have the same access to the playground broke her.
“I got back into the car and just cried, it was such a low trick,” she told NZME.
“To have the swing removed is beyond belief, really. They cut it from the top and took the chains - we’re absolutely gutted.”
Rāwhiti Domain’s playground took seven years to construct following the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, which damaged large parts of the New Brighton area.
The undertaking to have the playground built was such that local MP Poto Williams gained government funding to commence the $600,000 construction.
The swing's theft drew social media attention following its suspicious disappearance. Photo / NZME
“It was an essential part of quake recovery for children in the east of Christchurch,” Baker explained.
“There’s still some with anxiety from [the earthquake] so it was believed this would be a healing place where they could play in a safe environment.”
It’s a popular playground with the disabled community, according to Baker, which regularly utilises the disabled swing and other playground features in a relaxed playing environment.
Baker said Ferndale School, the school that visited on Thursday, is a common user of the playground.
A parent of one of their students told Baker her young son, who is on the spectrum, was too overwhelmed to use playgrounds for years, she initially dismissed the possibility of using Rāwhiti as a waste of time.
Rāwhiti Domain’s playground took seven years to construct following the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake. Photo / NZME
Her perception changed when her son loved the “calming space”, calling the playground’s creator a genius.
“The neurodiverse children normally struggle with sensory overload as they can’t deal with the noise, but this playground is really quiet,” she said.
“[Ferndale] always tell us they love the space, it’s so welcoming for their kids.”
Baker made a call for anybody with information on the swing’s whereabouts to come forward, given the theft was a crime.
“I don’t know [the offender’s] motive, why they did this - if they wanted an addition to their backyard, but they have stolen from children,” she said.
In a post on Friday, the Guardians of Rāwhiti Domain posted on their social media to confirm Christchurch’s mayor had come to their rescue.
“Our mayor, Phil Mauger rang me to say that the Mauger Foundation will fund a replacement disability nest swing,” the statement said.
“Maugers were our major sponsor for the playground. Thank you so much.”
