Designs have been released for what will be one of New Zealand’s largest play areas. New Plymouth’s Kawaroa play area is slated to cost around NZ$6m (US$3.8m) and cover an area of 22,000sq.m. The land it will sit on has been used as a playground for many years. It is set to include hill play, agility facilities and a water play attraction. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2024 once a contractor has been chosen. In addition to the play facilities, there will also be a dedicated learning area aligned to local history, as well as public facilities including changing rooms, toilets and space for food trucks.

The project is a joint venture between The Taranaki Foundation, Ngāti Te Whiti, New Plymouth District Council and NP Partners. Taranaki Foundation chair, Phil Hinton, said: “Knowing that innovative ways have been worked through to achieve cost savings and meet budget constraints while still preserving the integrity of the project is very important to us.”