Whatawhata School celebrated the opening of its new playground, donated by Mitre 10 Mega Hamilton as part of Mitre 10′s Project Playground initiative. Photo / Glenn Manchester
Whatawhata School celebrated the opening of its new playground, donated by Mitre 10 Mega Hamilton as part of Mitre 10′s Project Playground initiative. Photo / Glenn Manchester
Whatawhata School students were jumping for joy last week as they celebrated the opening of their new playground.
The school won the new playground when it was voted the most deserving school in the area as part of Mitre 10′s Project Playground initiative.
Close to 20 local school submissions were sent in for consideration.
Ngāruawhāhia Primary School, Rhode Street School, Fairfield Primary School and Whatawhata School were selected for the public voting round.
The judges selected these three schools after doing site visits and looking at criteria such as the condition and number of existing playgrounds, roll size and the difficulty of self-funding based on local demographics.
Whatawhata School was voted the winner through public voting at the Mitre 10 Mega Hamilton store.
Students from Whatawhata School celebrated the opening of their new playground. Photo / Glenn Manchester
At the playground’s opening, Whatawhata School principal Rob Gunn said the event was a “milestone achievement” for the kura and community.
“We are very thankful that Mitre 10 Mega Hamilton had a big enough heart to give back and we are so thankful to all who supported us to make this happen for our children and community, especially our school PTA,” Gunn said.
“We truly now have the best playground in Whatawhata.”
Gunn said the school PTA had worked tirelessly to fundraise for a new playground for the kids.
The PTA first entered the national Mitre 10 Helping Hands Project Playground competition when it launched in 2021, but was unsuccessful.
Whatawhata School principal Rob Gunn says the school now has Whatawhata's best playground. Photo / Glenn Manchester
When the Hamilton region campaign launched, Gunn said, the PTA saw the opportunity as its best chance to get in with a shot of winning a new playground.
Mitre 10 Mega Hamilton owner Hayden Camp said the project was a great example of a local business helping a local community.
Mitre 10 Mega Hamilton marketing co-ordinator Corban Fray said the idea of donating a brand-new playground to a school aligned perfectly with how the stores wanted to support the local community.
“The journey meant we could let our customers voice their opinion on who they think should win, and seeing the incredible impact of opening this new playground for Whatawhata School, I am really proud of what we have achieved.”
