Margaret Mahy Playground

Margaret Mahy Playground as seen from Manchester Street

The Margaret Mahy Playground is a playground in the Christchurch Central City on the banks of the Avon River.

Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the government's Recovery Plan had a "city-wide family playground" as one of the elements of the East Frame.[1] The playground opened on 22 December 2015, and it is the largest playground in the Southern Hemisphere. The total project cost exceeded NZ$40m, with NZ$19.6m for land purchase, NZ$1.3m for demolition of buildings, and NZ$20m for land development, including NZ$3m for the playground itself.[2]

The concept for the playground is based on deliberate but managed risk, with the project manager stating: "We accept more risk now in our playgrounds than we had 20 years ago."[3] Having mostly received an enthusiastic response from the public, there was criticism that such an expensive playground did not cater better for children with physical disabilities.[4] The playground is named for Margaret Mahy, New Zealand's famous children's author.[5] In April 2016, it was reported that additional adventure equipment for the playground had been ordered: climbing towers and "curly whirly slides".[3] An 8 metres (26 ft) spiral slide from one of the towers opened on 26 June and The Press reported "screams of terror and excitement".[6] Two weeks later, the towers and the slide were closed again "over safety concerns".[7]

Elsie Locke Park in July 2013

The land incorporates the previous Elsie Locke Park, which was named after the famous activist in 1997 and was Christchurch's only park named after a resident during their lifetime.[8][9]

References

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  1. ↑ Christchurch Central Recovery Plan : Te Mahere 'Maraka Ōtautahi' (PDF). Christchurch: Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. July 2012. p. 35. ISBN 978 0 478 39718 5. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  2. ↑ Stylianou, Giorgina (22 December 2015). "Multimillion-dollar Margaret Mahy playground open for fun in Christchurch". The Press. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 Napier, Abby (7 April 2016). "New equipment on the way for Margaret Mahy Playground". The Press. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Spink, Emily (13 January 2016). "Playground 'misses mark'". The Press. p. A2. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "$3m playground ready to open". The Press. 17 December 2015. p. A3. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Flynn, Leah (26 June 2016). "Tower of terror opens at Christchurch's Margaret Mahy Family Playground". The Press. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Flynn, Leah (10 July 2016). "Tower of terror at Christchurch's Margaret Mahy Family Playground closed". The Press. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Elsie Locke park future uncertain". The Press. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Horton, Murray (June 2001). "Obituary: Elsie Locke". Peace Researcher. Christchurch, New Zealand: New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone Committee. 23. ISSN 1173-2679. OCLC 173343104. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
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