Project: Ngatea Primary School
Client: BOT Members, Shannon Burke, Nicky Irving

The Ground
Good things come in small packages, which is true of Ngatea Primary School and its 330 students who attend this semi-rural school located in the heart of the Hauraki Plains. But there was nothing small about the grand vision the school, its Board, and students had for their new playground.

Reflecting the school’s vision “to be authors of our learning in a collaborative and supportive environment that empowers play, passion, and purpose”, the Board wanted a playground that catered for the abilities of all students, from new entrance to Year 8.

The Playground Creations team were excited for the challenge ahead, not least because of our connection with the school. Our CFO Donna was a former student of Ngatea Primary School and had many memories of the old playground.

The Creation
Understanding the school’s vision and its desire to cater for the needs of its students in a rapidly changing world, our team provided an initial playground concept that included two potential options. This provided the community and board with an opportunity to provide feedback on the features and equipment they loved about each option, which our team then compiled into the final design.

To help bring the playground to life, a selection of Ngatea Primary School students visited the Playground Creations workshop to get an inside look into the process of constructing the design and taking it from concept to creation.

Bringing through the school colours – green, blue, yellow, and red – our design provided a play space for the whole school to enjoy, with zones that catered for different ages and abilities. The junior playground was positioned in front, equipment for all ages in the centre, and a big senior playground at the back. 

The Play
Ngatea Primary School’s new playground encourages skill development, invites collaboration, and fosters the magic of play every day.

Chosen equipment includes: two Whakaata or reflection decks, a hammock trio, our marama climber, a double bay log swing, gravity bowl carousel, and in the senior playground, a 6m high haemus activity net.