The Whanganui District Council will address the issue "early this year". Photo / Bevan Conley
Warning: Graphic image
The merry-go-round at Whanganui’s Kowhai Park is off limits following an accident on the ride.
On December 23, Whanganui resident Sasha Poldmaa posted a warning on Facebook after her 7-year-old son got his foot stuck under it.
Poldmaa told the Chronicle he suffered friction burns as a result and was taken to Whanganui Accident and Emergency (WAM).
There were no fractures, but the wound was in “a really ugly place” and had still not fully healed.
“For about a week he couldn’t walk and I had to carry him. There were some really bad blisters we had to try and treat,” Poldmaa said.
A Whanganui District Council spokesperson said the council would fix the gap between the ground and the merry-go-round’s platform ”early this year”.
The gap had widened and the ride had been fenced off for safety reasons, they said.
Poldmaa said her social media post was simply about awareness and she never intended to get the merry-go-round shut down.
If a “little, little” child got their foot stuck underneath, they could suffer worse injuries than her son’s, she said.
“People said if he had worn shoes it wouldn’t have happened, but it’s a wet park,” Poldmaa said.
“He was in the water just before he went on the merry-go-round.
“It’s not the council’s fault, it’s not the child’s fault and it’s not the parent’s fault. It’s just one of those things that happens.”
According to a report from council senior parks manager Wendy Bainbridge, Kowhai Park was built in the 1950s, with improvements being made since to achieve “a measure of compliance”.
A decade-long development of the park — an issue for the council to consider in its long-term plan 2024-34 — could cost about $6 million.
The council took the merry-go-round off site for repairs in 2019.
Poldmaa said she was glad the council was addressing the issue.
“With any playground equipment, you just have to be careful.
“If your kid whacks their head on the inside of the [Kowhai Park] mountain, that doesn’t mean everyone has to wear hard hats.”
She said her son was back up and about, but he might be putting off riding the merry-go-round when it eventually reopened.
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
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