The Marton community is having a grand opening for Te Āhuru Mōwai, their new destination playground, at 10am on Saturday 17 April.

The playground is four years in the making and cost $1.3m, nearly all of which was raised through grants and donations from the local community.

Chairperson for the Marton Development Group (the not-for-profit organisation behind the playground) Lucy Skou said the group was beyond excited to finally open the playground and to share it with the Marton community.

“We can’t wait for everyone who has supported this playground through fundraising, working-bees, donations, auctions, sausage sizzles and more to come and experience what their money and hard work has built.”

The free event will be held at Te Āhuru Mōwai on Wellington road, Marton and will include ribbon cutting, music, food carts, face-painting, sausage sizzle and a scavenger hunt.

Skou says it will be fun for all ages and everybody is welcome.

The new play space was designed by award-winning landscape architects Boffa Miskell and replaces a much smaller playground built in 1951. The only other playground in Marton was built in the 1970s.

Te Āhuru Mōwai o Tutaeporoporo (the full bi-line for the playground) was given its name by local mana whenua Ngā Wairiki and Ngāti Apa and means ‘the safe haven of Tutaeporoporo’.

Tutaeporoporo is a mokai to local Iwi that is seen as a friend and guardian of southern Rangitīkei land, waterways and people.

Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa also worked closely with the playground designers to develop art work which tells the tale of Tutaeporoporo and is woven throughout the play space.

The Rangitīkei District Council was supportive of the playground from the outset and provided on-going assistance throughout the project. In addition, the council installed public toilets, contributed $87,000 to the project and will take on the on-going maintenance of the playground, which sits on council land.

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