A first-of-its-kind play space for Auckland, based on traditional Māori games and play artefacts has just opened. Te Mara Hupara playground is part of the Te Auaunga, an Auckland Council Healthy Waters project in Mount Roskill, Auckland.

Landscape architect Mark Lewis of Boffa Miskell worked closely with Auckland Council and the project team to create a natural play space that offers children a unique and imaginative experience, while also reinforcing the wider values of Te Auaunga (Oakley Creek) project to restore the wairua of the adjacent Walmsley and Underwood Reserves.

“Play interventions weren’t part of the original brief,” says Lewis. “The project began as a stormwater and flood control program. But it quickly became apparent we had an opportunity to make a profound transformation and create a park along this regionally significant watercourse that would truly enhance the area and the lives of the people living here.”

There are four schools and several early childhood centres in the area; and community surveys showed a strong desire for dedicated play areas.

During consultation in early 2015, mana whenua suggested to the project team that they consider integrating traditional Māori play items into the park; ideally, under the guidance of educator and author Harko Brown, an expert in traditional Māori games.

Lewis says that after interactive workshops with local school children and Brown, it became apparent that a ngā aro tākaro playground was an ideal fit with the restoration of Te Auaunga Awa.

In Māori society, traditional games and aro-tākaro (play items) are inextricably linked and highly valued. Ngā aro-tākaro reinforce social norms and connect people to their environments. They become a means for children to engage with nature and history simultaneously through challenge and learning.