Te reo Māori workshop to help shape new lakefront development

An artist's impression of the lakefront redevelopment. Image / Supplied

Rotorua children are invited to attend a creative workshop held in te reo Māori to help shape the design of the new play space that will be part of the lakefront development.

Rotorua Lakes Council has allocated $20 million to the Rotorua lakefront development, which will include a new play space.

Tamariki [children] will have the opportunity to share their ideas about play, which will be fed back to Isthmus, the studio designing the proposed new lakefront play space.

The free workshop, run by Rotorua Lakes Council, is on this Saturday from 10.30am to 12pm in the Discovery Space on the second floor of the Rotorua Library, Te Aka Mauri.

Rotorua Lakes Council Māori group manager Gina Rangi said the council was committed to Rotorua Reo Rua, which was the drive behind hosting a workshop in te reo Māori.

"We are delighted to provide a workshop for the many children in the district who come from te reo Māori speaking homes and kura [school]," she said.

"It's also really important that the Lakefront reflects local stories and local aspirations, and this is just one of the ways to better connect with and include Te Arawa children."

While the workshop will be held in te reo Māori, tamariki who speak other languages are welcome to attend.

All materials will be provided at the workshops, which are best suited to tamariki aged six and older. Registrations are not needed.

This will be the fourth workshop held overall, with the first three workshops attracting more than 70 tamariki.

The aim of the workshops was to introduce projects to a community, uncover local stories, gather an understanding of the local identity, and learn what is most important to the project's end users.

Playdough, straws, tape, and coloured card will be available to help tamariki shape and share their ideas.

The $20m allocated to the lakefront development, with matched funding coming from Central Government's Provincial Growth Fund, will enable the project to be completed in the next three years.

Part of the development will include a new play space, which will replace the existing Volcanic Playground that will remain in place while the new play space is created.

A summary of the workshops will be developed and the council will provide updates as work on the lakefront development progresses.