Mount Maunganui Playcentre members raised more than $1.4 million to build a brand new centre, which officially opened on Thursday 3 April 2025 at Golf Road Reserve.
The centre needed to move from its Blake Park home because of Tauranga City Council’s plans to redevelop Blake Park into a dedicated sports centre.
Mount Maunganui Playcentre has supported child-led play since 1974 and celebrated 50 years in September.
More than 120 families use the centre each week and now have a brand new, modern, purpose-built centre to attend.
Renee Smith was a crucial part of the playcentre relocation as chairwoman of the relocation committee.
“This project has been 20 years in the making and has involved years of planning, fundraising, and navigating challenges to secure a suitable site, gain approvals, and bring the vision to life,” she said.
The new location represented the continuation of the Playcentre movement in the community, and Ms Smith says she was proud to have played a part in bringing it to life.
“It has provided my children with endless opportunities for child-led, uninterrupted play in a nurturing environment, with me learning alongside them.”
“This centre has become our second home, and I’m grateful its completion ensures Mount Maunganui families will enjoy the same benefits our whānau has experienced.”
At the whakatuwhera (opening), Playcentre members with the support of mana whenua Steve Te Kami (Ngai Te Rangi), Hine-marie Burton (Ngāti Kuku) and Andrea Webster (Trustee from Playcentre Aotearoa) welcomed manuhiri – guests from Tauranga City Council, Playcentre Aotearoa, the Ministry of Education, plus sponsors and supporters of the relocation project – to the site for an official blessing.
Karen Clarkson, a playcentre parent and member of the relocation committee, said it had been a long but rewarding project.
“It’s been a lot of people over the years putting in effort where they can, a lot of really driven women who have created this project, made it, and seen it to the end. “We’ve made it, and we’re proud of what we’ve created.”
The relocation committee is still fundraising for stage two of their playground.
“We have a sandpit and swings, but we are still actively fundraising to complete the playground and landscaping,” says Clarkson.
If you can offer support or a donation, you can contact Mount Maunganui Playcentre via email at [email protected] or via their website www.mtplaycentre.co.nz
Reporting: Kaitlyn Morrell, Bay of Plenty Times. Photo credit: Rose Keddell, Mount Maunganui Playcentre.
Members of Mount Maunganui Playcentre raised over $1.4 million to build a brand new centre.
