WARRIOR MOUNTAINS PLAYGROUND

The Warrior Mountains’ Playground successfully and respectfully weaves together a well-known iwi legend, with locally specific cultural design components. The project brief was to develop a playground that is strongly tied to local themes and context at a true destination scale, providing a unique Taupō experience that tells a cultural and historical story of the district. Throughout the duration of the project, Ngāti Tūwharetoa artist Kingi Pitiroi actively engaged with the design team to offer a collaborative design and delivery process. This engagement ensured a high level of cultural design expression and artistic excellence. It offers a wonderful play experience and a level of cultural learning and understanding, not just for the children but across all generations who visit the space. The final result offers a huge sense of pride for the local community and has already become a key attractor for visitors to the region. The project has also been successful in incorporating custom design play elements alongside off-the-shelf pieces.