Children of all abilities are enjoying a new multimillion-dollar playground that opened yesterday in Hamilton, dubbed the most accessible in the country.
The 8000 square metre playground in the city’s Claudelands Park includes several themed zones, including a slide zone, balance and bounce zone, and a swing and spin zone.
The city’s first fully accessible playground, which came with a $3 million price tag, was jointly funded by the Hamilton City Council and the Magical Bridge Trust.
Magical Bridge Trust chairman Peter van Vroonhoven, who has a son with disabilities, was inspired by a playground he saw in San Francisco.
"You hear stories all the time of children not being able to access not only playgrounds but all sorts of things," he said.
"Removing all those barriers and really creating something that's universally designed, as you can see, for everyone to play on."
One advocate who has used a wheelchair his whole life said kids with disabilities often just accept they can’t do most things that others can.
"When I was a kid, I didn’t really realise that I was being excluded from play," Magical Bridge board member Maurice Flynn said.
"Being part of this project for the last four years, it's really made me realise that there was a big element of my life when I was a kid that I was excluded from.
"This is a benchmark for what should be happening throughout the whole of New Zealand."
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