Christchurch Nature Play Park construction begins

Date:  12 September 2013

Christchurch communities and businesses have rallied to support the construction of a Nature Play Park in central city, a joint project by Greening the Rubble Trust and DOC.  

Plans to have the park all finished in time for Open Streets on Sunday 29 September went awry but the team hope to have the bulk of the work done, which is definitely worth celebrating, said Sarah Mankelow, DOC.

“In the meantime, offers of labour, donations of goods and enquiries from families and schools keep coming in.”

“We have a lot of work ahead of us to create this space, and its projects like this that make you realise that it's people that bring the magic. Without a whole lot of people happy to help and donate time or materials, this park will not happen.”

Jonathan Hall, site manager for Greening the Rubble said that it was the community spirit of Christchurch that kept him driven to finish this project.

“The last week will be all hands to the pump, with the aim of getting the park as complete as possible, but we aint going to get all stressed out about it!”

“We at Greening the Rubble are about community involvement and good times”.

Contributors to the Nature Play Park so far include:

• Fulton Hogan are doing the initial site preparation and shaping, installing deer fence posts, dig tank hole, trenching for power and river and providing rocks and boulders
• Waterforce are donating all materials and labour for creation of the river feature and installing irrigation
• CCC have organised free water connection and no charge for water usage
• Ardex NZ are donating the pond liner
• City Care have provided temp fence free of charge and repaired the footpath around the site
• Hynds have donated concrete water-tank and tunnel 
• Placemakers have sponsored $1000 worth of materials towards hut construction
• Central Fencing are donating labour to build a fence
• Trees for Canterbury have provided plants
• Taggarts are donating one large log
• Tree Tech are providing arbour mulch delivered for $200
• Adgraphix have given us a 3 for the price of 2 deal on interpretation panels
• Wai ora Nursery donated some trees
• Wharenui School have donated kowhai and coprosma they have grown themselves
• Others have offered plants from their homes or red-zoned properties.

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