It’s our “watering hole for all the young people” and its upgrades have made it better than ever.

Don’t take our word for it, though – Youth Week has begun! Our rangatahi are speaking up about the spaces and communities where they belong, and that belong to them.

And here, it’s all about Molley Green. Haven’t been? No problem – our Roskill Correspondents Leah and Tessa were on the scene at Picnic in the Park.

Straight after graduating from Waikōwhai Intermediate School, they took us for a tour of our newly-upgraded reserve:

From the moment construction fences were removed, tamariki were already shooting hoops on the new full and half-basketball courts. Later that day, more than 300 people joined us to celebrate Molley Green Reserve’s partial return after a year-long closure.

So why is this space so important to the community?

“It’s a safe environment for everyone to meet and have a great time together,” says Raymond, 17, and a regular at the Salvation Army’s weekly Friday Hangouts.

Frederick, 18 and another Sallies regular, adds: “I think it’s a place we call home, it’s where everyone gathers around, it’s where everyone chills.”

Molly Green Reserve Basketball Courts

The Salvation Army has been running youth groups and activities in Waikōwhai for years, with Friday Hangouts being a staple for nearly two decades.

“A lot of our youth work early on started off at this park,” says Salvation Army Youth Worker Jon Riki Williams.

“I think it’s important to not only have a place for new residents to come … but to refurbish something that the old residents also know and are very familiar with – to have their park back,” he says.

But before then, for the year of its closure, something had to be done to provide alternative spaces for what Jon calls the “watering hole for all the young people” of Roskill.

JP Puleitu, Kāinga Ora Youth Placemaking Advisor, says it was groups like the Sallies – along with Aftermath, the Roskill South Hub and Tā Tātou Māra Kai – who “really supported us in the transition”.

Many already had regular activities and other spaces activated, but stepped up to accommodate an increased demand from the temporary closure.

“It’s such an anchor for the neighbourhood, as you can see – from the adults right to the young ones – this is their hub, this is their space, they’ve been missing it,” JP says.

“Now that it’s open, they’re back at it. It’s amazing.”

Molly Green Reserve Urban Development Team

With Molley Green Reserve partially reopened, JP and the team were planning a series of community activations to encourage the community to get back into “the vibe” they once enjoyed here.

For Leah and Tessa, that vibe is already there.

“It’s important to me, and I think the whole community, because it’s a really nice spot where everybody in Roskill South meets up,” Leah says.

Tessa hopes the redeveloped space means more events, and a community where “we can all grow closer”.

“It’s just really nice to be with a family-whānau community.”

Molly Green Reserve Blessing

Upgrades at a glace

• Half and full basketball courts
• New public bathrooms
• A netball court
• A learn-to-ride cycle track
• New boardwalks and viewing platforms
• 1,170 metres of new concrete footpaths
• A barbeque area
• Four new picnic tables
• ‘Daylighting’ of the stream
• 407 metres of new wastewater pipes
• Three new stormwater outlets
• 26,000 new plants and trees
• Seven new streetlights
• 395 metres of new roads
• 1,414 cubic metres of stormwater detention – enough to accommodate a 200-year rainfall event.
  
  

For more on the infrastructure upgrades at Molley Green Reserve, click here.