Oakura Playcentre - creating a vibrant and productive outdoor environment

Rachel from Spotswood

At Oakura Playcentre, we have created a plan to transform our outdoor area to maximise its use and benefits to the community. The idea is to connect children/whanau with a) the natural environment, lifecycles and the production of food b) ways to grow, process, eat and share the food we grow; and c) create a more resilient community hub – a place people could turn to in case of natural disaster, for example.To do all this, our collaboratively developed plan encompasses: fruit trees and gardens to provide food for community; water tanks for play but also for emergency water use; landscaping and installation of materials/equipment (re/upcycled) for authentic play; etc.We have already had 5 fruit trees, numerous other productive plants and a trailor-load of mulch donated to us and we are currently fundraising for an extensive civil defence kit. We are planning to work with Taranaki Timebank to increase our volunteer labour capacity. Should we receive an AMI Community Grant, we would use the funds to (in order of priority): purchase remaining fruit trees, raised garden beds and other materials to support these (espalier posts and wires, garden edging, etc); purchase and plumb rainwater collection tanks, including appropriate filters; landscaping (pathways etc) and integrated play equipment to provide opportunities for children to interact with the new vibrant and productive landscape.Oakura Playcentre is a charitable organisation and is cooperatively run by its members. It is a welcoming and inclusive environment, providing opportunities for interactive play and learning, adult education, and peer support for approximately 30 families, from Oakura, New Plymouth and surrounds.An AMI grant would allow us to achieve our goal of creating a vibrant and productive landscape that inspires and nourishes the Playcentre whanau and the wider community.www.facebook.com...