Disability advocates are calling on Auckland Council to take a greater role in ensuring children have accessible playgrounds across the city.
A public playground in Auckland. Photo: RNZ/ Michelle Cooke
Eight-year-old Ella is cheeky and independent.
She was born at just 25 weeks and suffered a brain bleed which left her with cerebral palsy.
Ella relies on a wheelchair to get around and occasionally uses a walking frame.
Like most children, Ella loves going to the park. That is despite the fact that most in her home city do not cater to her needs.
Of the 887 public playgrounds in Auckland, just 128 are considered accessible for children with disabilities.
Many have a basket swing, which is one piece of equipment Ella can use.
"Generally, there's only one of those in any park, so we're having to wait our turn, which I understand is fair," her mum, Kat Thomas said.
"But when my child can't play on any other piece of equipment, it's heartbreaking to explain to her why we're having to wait, or why we need to get off because other people are wanting to have a go."
What makes a playground accessible?
The levels of accessibility between each of the 128 playgrounds vary massively.
Some, like Myers Park in central Auckland, have a wheelchair friendly surface and basket swing.
In Papatoetoe, Allenby Park has a basket swing, but the surface underneath is woodchip, which isn't wheelchair friendly.
Other parks have sand play units, swings, water play and more.
One of the gold-standard playgrounds is Keith Park in Manurewa.
It's considered fully accessible, with a net seesaw, wheelchair spinner, musical play, interactive play panels, swings, tower access and toilet facilities.
Advocates call for action
Vivian Naylor from CCS Disability Action wants change, and to see universal design embedded in building codes.
"Why should we be discriminating against children that don't fit the so-called norm?
"We're leaving them out and, in this day, and age? I mean, we've signed the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities."
She believes council should be leading the way.
"Ratepayer money is going into these facilities, and surely that dictates that they should be actually designed with everybody in mind," Naylor said.
Kimberley Graham is an accessible travel writer and has a son who uses a wheelchair.
She says the development of fully accessible playgrounds often takes extra funding from outside of council.
"You don't want to teach your child straight from day dot that they're not included and exclude them from playing with their peers," she says.
"I think it's extremely important and playgrounds should be the first to have that universal design aspect and get it right first time.
"It shouldn't be down to charities and charitable people to fundraise this..."
A journey for council
Auckland Council says it is on a journey when it comes to playground accessibility.
Community Facilities, general manager Taryn Crewe says accessibility is a consideration when playgrounds come up for renewal or development.
"There's not an opportunity at the moment to just be able to go out to all those 887 playgrounds and just kind of do a whirlwind inclusive adaptation of those accessible equipments."
Crewe says they are trialling wheelchair mats on Takapuna Beach and water features in some outdoor areas.
She says accessible play is something the council is focused on expanding.
"Accessible play and accessible features I suppose in our parks is definitely something that is becoming more and more something that we're focusing on.
"And I think there's an expectation as we do these new developments and also the renewals, that that is a key component."
The fight for accessible playgrounds in Auckland continues.
