Molley Green Reserve is a beautiful part of the Roskill community, and Kāinga Ora is in the process of upgrading it so that more people can enjoy the space.

The upgrade includes Māra Hūpara, a natural playground/learning space that will provide opportunities for the community to engage with the natural environment.

Ākonga (learners) from Hay Park School and Waikōwhai Intermediate School were invited to take part in a one-day workshop, which took place on 21 February 2023, with teacher and Māori games expert, Harko Brown. 

The workshop was an excellent opportunity for the children to learn about traditional Māori games, engage in local stories, and connect with the environment.

Harko Brown is designing the Māra Hūpara playground in collaboration with Mana Whenua.

His workshop focused on engagement through play so that he could better understand what the kids want out of the playground.

The ākonga (learners) were taught the history of the space and how it influenced the draft designs, like how the early trees were planted on landing by voyaging waka. They also played traditional Māori games, and through various engagement tools, had the opportunity to give feedback on the designs themselves. Some kai was provided to keep the tamariki energised.

There was also a gardening workshop where the kids helped tidy up the community garden as part of the Food Forest project.

Now, the Māra Hūpara playground initial designs are being revised based on feedback from this workshop. Updated designs will be presented to Mana Whenua by the end of March, then they’ll be presented back to Hay Park School and Waikōwhai Intermediate School for another round of feedback in Term 2 2023.

Watch this space for new updates on the Molley Green Reserve upgrade.