Petition urges Whangārei council to add wheelchair-friendly equipment at Pohe Island
Pohe Island Adventure Playground in Whangārei. Photo / Adam Lothian
Children’s disability advocates say Whangārei’s flagship destination playground Pohe Island falls short on accessibility and needs key upgrades to make it truly inclusive.
Children with Disability NZ chief executive Glen McMillan met Whangārei District Council (WDC) on Wednesday to discuss its earlier decision declining an application to install a wheelchair-accessible swing and seesaw at the site.
McMillan, who sought about $100,000 in council funding, said he was surprised the application had been dismissed and expected further engagement.
The council told the Northern Advocate the proposal was declined not on its merits, but because it was submitted through its community grants programme, which is designed for projects on non-council assets.
General manager transport and community infrastructure Jim Sephton said upgrades to a council-owned site, such as Pohe Island, had to be considered through the council’s Annual Plan or Long-Term Plan processes.
McMillan said the online application portal limited how much detail could be provided and he had no opportunity to outline the proposal fully.
“They would normally contact the applicant and ask for more information … they didn’t contact me.”
Had he been asked for further detail, he would have expanded on options including a proposal for the council to lease a small portion of land to CDNZ for a nominal $1 a year over 25 years.
He said that approach would allow the project to be developed as a community-led initiative, opening the way for external grants, sponsorship and funding streams not typically available for council-owned infrastructure.
He hoped the council would reconsider the proposal after this week’s meeting and that a petition launched by CDNZ about two weeks ago – which has already drawn more than 400 signatures – would demonstrate strong public support for the upgrades.
“It was good that the conversation was at least now underway.”
He has identified a 770sq m gravel area within the park, of which only about 100sq m would be needed to house the new equipment.
He said a $100,000 investment would allow installation of the swing and seesaw, while about $200,000 could fund fencing, a barbecue area and picnic tables, creating a destination for families of children with disabilities.
McMillan said he realised the need for fencing after speaking with the mother of an autistic child prone to wandering or running off – known as “elopement” – who told him a lack of secure spaces meant some families no longer felt safe using playgrounds and had stopped visiting.
He said the type of equipment installed could also deter these families, with cheaper options often going unused because parents and carers knew they might not be safe.
His proposal recommends higher-quality, inclusive equipment from New Zealand manufacturer and supplier PlayCo, including a wheelchair-accessible seesaw designed so disabled and able-bodied children can play together.
He said Pohe Island was widely regarded as a top-tier playground and he had previously worked with the council to improve accessibility there, advocating for two in-ground trampolines to be replaced with a single oblong design and for a raised sandpit to be installed.
While those changes showed small design adjustments could make a difference, he said more work was needed to ensure the playground was inclusive in practice, not just in appearance.
Significant parts of Pohe Island remained inaccessible to wheelchair users because of loose bark surfacing and raised edges that could trap wheels and limit movement.
He said durable, wheelchair-friendly surfacing such as rubber matting was needed to allow disabled children to move freely throughout the playground, rather than being confined to isolated areas or limited to watching from the sidelines as able-bodied children played.
McMillan understood some councillors believed there was limited demand for such upgrades, but he argued that was because many disabled children were effectively excluded from public spaces.
According to Statistics New Zealand’s 2023 Disability Survey, about 23% of Northlanders, or about 45,000 people, are disabled, suggesting many families could benefit from more inclusive play spaces, he said.
While Whangārei District Council said it was progressively incorporating accessible features across its parks, a list of facilities it supplied to the Northern Advocate shows these are often limited to individual elements such as basket swings.
A few playgrounds offer more substantial inclusive features, including:
- The Town Basin playground, which has a wheelchair-accessible spinner, synthetic surfacing, and in-ground trampolines. McMillan noted these are round, so not wheelchair accessible.
- Waihoihoi Playground, Waipu, which has a wheelchair-accessible swing and safety surfacing.
- Raumanga Reserve, which has an accessible seesaw.
- Pohe Island, which includes some synthetic surfacing, a spinner and a trampoline.
- Only two include fencing – Whale Tail Playground in Ngunguru and Rikoriko Playground in Tutukākā.
McMillan said playgrounds nationwide were typically non-inclusive, with many councils prioritising cost over accessibility and lacking clear guidance on what true inclusion looked like.
In response, he and a team of volunteers have been developing a network of websites, including Accessible Playgrounds NZ, which helps families find inclusive play spaces, and Inclusive Playground Equipment NZ, which provides guidance for councils and communities on designing accessible playgrounds.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent reporting on the courts in Gisborne and the East Coast.