SUMMER 2017 43
Canterbury schoolchildren took part in the Amazing Place playground design competition run by the Christchurch Central Development Unit ( CCDU ). The judges had almost 300 entries to choose from , and the ultimate winners were four Year 6 pupils from Selwyn House School with their design inspired by Christchurch children ’ s author Margaret Mahy .
Lead designer Catherine Hamilton explains :
“ The girls were actually just one of several winners , from local students in years five , six and seven . Then-prime minister John Key was there to announce the winners and hand out the awards , and he was really enthusiastic about the girls ’ design in particular , and in a moment of excitement he just said off-the-cuff : ‘... the name of this new playground will be the Margaret Mahy Playground .’ So that pretty much decided it !
“ The day I started as project manager , I was handed a booklet with all the winning designs , and those children became the primary focus group and stayed involved throughout the process .”
Getting the end-users ( the children ) involved from the get-go is seen as the most effective way to create a playspace that truly
“ Kids want to be scared and they want to be challenged ... they love to conquer their fear , and overcome a challenge ”