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Submissions

Auckland City Council MangaPaakau Glenveagh Park Drive Reserve playspace

Posted in Regional; Tagged Accessibility, Parks and recreation; Posted 9 months ago by DPA Less than a minute to read

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To: Auckland City Council
Date: June 2025

 

Purpose

This submission aims to provide feedback on the Auckland Council Manga-Paakau / Glenveagh Park Drive Reserve playspace. DPA's goal is to ensure the playspace is fully accessible and inclusive for all children, including disabled children, and their families, by incorporating universal design principles and addressing critical points in the "accessible journey" to eliminate barriers.

Summary of DPA submission

DPA welcomes the opportunity to give feedback on the Auckland Council Manga-Paakau / Glenveagh Park Drive Reserve playspace. DPA is pleased to see that Te Akitai Waiohua has developed a concept design based on principles of Kaitiakitanga (sustainability), Taakaro taiao (nature play), and Rerekeetanga o te taakaro (diversity of play) for children of all backgrounds and abilities. DPA commends the inclusion of accessible play elements for disabled children and aims to ensure an accessibility lens is applied for the full inclusion of Auckland’s disability community.

The submission highlights Auckland's 14 percent disability population rate (242,000 people in 2023) and an increasing number of older people, emphasizing the need for the Council to plan and invest in fully accessible, inclusive communities. DPA highlights the "accessible journey" approach, defining it as a path of travel where accessible features must be present at critical transitions between built environments, transport systems, and public spaces to avoid breaking the journey for users.

Anecdotal stories from Auckland disability community members illustrate existing barriers, such as a person falling out of their manual wheelchair due to uneven walkways or a disabled parent unable to access a playground their non-disabled child was on. These examples highlight the need for an overall approach to ensure every play space is accessible for all, despite the Council having access to the Disability Advisory Panel, Auckland Design Manual, and Barrier Free advisors. DPA recommends that Council work collaboratively with Barrier Free Advisors on the Glenveagh Park Drive Reserve playspace.

To foster caring and connected communities, DPA makes several recommendations for new playground developments in the reserve to be more accessible and inclusive, especially for disabled children. These include: installing more inclusive play equipment (mixture of nature-inspired and themed structures), seating of varying heights with armrests, accessible tables for wheelchair and mobility aid users, universally accessible pathways and walkways from the street to the playground, clear pedestrian access free from barriers like bollards, furniture, waste bins, and artwork, sufficient mobility parking permit spaces, fully accessible public toilets, a wheelchair-user-friendly drinking water fountain, and a shade tarpaulin for more shaded play areas.

 

Key Recommendation/Finding:

DPA recommends that the playground has more inclusive play equipment installed with a mixture of nature-inspired play elements and themed structures, thereby giving every child the opportunity to participate in play.

 

Supporting Statement 1:

DPA supports the principle that all children should have access to inclusive play areas, including disabled tamariki/children.

 

Supporting Statement 2

 Anecdotal stories from Auckland disability community members illustrate that existing playgrounds often present access barriers for disabled people and their families, highlighting the need for truly inclusive designs.

 
 

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DPA Submission 2506 Auckland City Council Western Springs Stadium (DOCX)

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