Whangamatā playground loses funding, shut for repairs

The Whangamatā Adventure Playground has been closed for two weeks amid health and safety concerns.

A playground on Whangamatā's main street has been closed off because of safety concerns.

The Whangamatā Adventure Playground was due for a $156,000 renewal project in the 2022/23 year but that was delayed because Thames-Coromandel District Council staff were busy on cyclone recovery work and has now been left out of the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan.

An inspection two weeks ago resulted in the immediate closure of the playground.

Whangamatā Community Board chairman Dave Ryan said the main concern now was the health and safety of children and pedestrians using the space.

Pedestrians use the footpath area in the park as an access between Port Rd and Charleston Ave.

Ryan said the $156,000 had been earmarked for an upgrade to make the facility disability friendly.

“We were disappointed when we missed out in the LTP; Whangamatā had been on that plan.”

Ryan said he understood the $156,000 would now not cover the renewal project given the amount of time it had been in the pipeline.

Any long-term alterations had to enable disability access, he said.

“I understand $156,000 is now not enough to upgrade it; you wouldn’t want to spend too much money at this stage.”

A council spokesman confirmed the project was deferred in the 2023/24 annual plan process “due to the huge amount of budget and staff needed to be diverted to cyclone recovery work”.

“The project wasn’t included in the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan because an inspection last year determined that the playground could, with minor work, continue to be usable for the short term, with frequent monitoring to ensure its safety.

Whangamatā Community Board chairman Dave Ryan.

“However, a recent inspection highlighted some safety concerns that meant the playground had to be immediately closed.”

The playground equipment was old, and replacement parts were no longer made and difficult to source, the spokesman said.

“A specialist playground inspector visited the site on Friday, September 20 and has come up with a solution to reopen the playground.

“The inspector we brought in works across the country and has a good understanding of what playgrounds are being worked on by which councils and knows what parts and components may be available.

“The inspector will help in the search for additional parts; meanwhile, we’ve appointed a contractor who is expected to have the playground reopened by the end of this week.

“The playground will not be as good as new but will be safe to open, some additional work may be required after the school holidays.”

The cost would be between $2000 and $4000.

Ryan said the community board would keep pushing for the upgrade.

“We can only assume that the temporary repairs undertaken will suffice for the time being.

“The sad situation is that a lot of money has not been spent in the southeastern ward of the Coromandel.

“People here pay a significant amount in rates; it is disappointing for people here when money is not spent on upgrades.”