Perspectives on Play Week Aotearoa 2025: celebrating the value that play brings to children, families, and communities.

Playgrounds offer safe, stimulating environments where children develop essential social, emotional, and physical skills. We asked five Boffa Miskell landscape architects to share their thinking on successful play space design.

Nicole says, "In playground design, the final layer isn’t an afterthought, it’s the cherry on top. Once the core play functions are resolved and the space takes form, it’s the small details that bring the space to life.

These design elements, a mosaic stepper, a family of pūkeko, or a trail of footprints, invite curiosity and encourage exploration. They add richness to a playspace, shaping how children move, touch, listen, and imagine within it.

A textured surface might prompt a child to stop and trace its pattern. A splash of unexpected colour can spark imagination. A chime hidden in a bridge might surprise and delight, adding a playful layer of discovery.

Some details reflect pūrākau (stories of history and culture) shared by mana whenua, embedding cultural narratives and identity into the design. Others offer quiet moments, a place to balance, climb, rest, or observe, supporting a range of play styles and personalities.

These aren’t just decorative touches. They’re intentional design choices that make play more engaging, inclusive, and memorable.

Lance says, "Wheeled sports features are inherently social. Skateparks, pump tracks, and skateable urban furniture become informal gathering places where users share skills, support each other, and build community.

These spaces often attract diverse groups including those who may feel excluded from traditional sports or playgrounds creating opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connection. They are places where identity, creativity, and movement intersect.

When integrated with static play features, wheeled moments also create opportunities for free play and connection including for those in wheelchairs or with mobility aids by offering shared surfaces and inclusive design."

Kylie Biovin says that as landscape design becomes increasingly technical with advanced 3D modelling, the power of hand-sketching is often overlooked:

"A quick sketch captures the essence of a concept in minutes, conveying mood, character, and spatial relationships in a way that feels authentic and approachable. This immediacy engages clients, builds trust, and encourages collaboration. By removing technical barriers, hand sketches make design conversations fluid and inspiring, transforming abstract ideas into tangible possibilities that resonate emotionally and visually.

We recently used hand sketching to convey ideas for a new play space in Christchurch. Once a stadium with a rich sporting history, the site was destroyed in the Canterbury earthquake and now serves as a public park honouring that legacy. The concept design here tells this story through play and visitor experience, creating a space that reflects its heritage in a fun and engaging way. This was recently shared for public feedback, and we’re excited to begin detailed design for this special playground."

Te Amo Pūtoro in Kerikeri is the Far North's first council-owned māra hūpara, a traditional Māori playground. William Hatton explains the meaning behind the name:

Ka timata te kaupapa o tēnei whakataukī:

“Te tika ka mōhio, te pono ka mārama, te pūrākau ka maumahara te ngākau”.

Ko Te Amo Pūtoro te ingoa o tēnei māra hupara, he īngoa taonga nā Ngāti Rēhia.

E hono ana te whakapapa o tēnei takiwā ki te tākaro, te kimi, me te pārekareka - he wāhi i tipu ai te koa me te hononga ki te taiao.

Ko te pūtake a Ngāti Rēhia me te hapori hoki, he whakakotahi i ngā taonga tuku iho e whakaatu ana i tō rātou tuakiri me tō rātou hononga ki te whenua.

He kaupapa whakahirahira tēnei e hiki ana i te mauri me te mana o tō rātou whakapapa, o te rohe, me ōna tāngata.

Nōreira, toitū te taonga, toitū te mana, toitū te whenua, toitū te tangata.

This project began with the proverb:

“Tell me the facts and I will learn, tell me the truth and I will believe, tell me the story and it will live be engrained in my heart”

Te Amo Pūtoro is the name of this unique māra hupara (traditional Māori playspace), a name gifted by Ngāti Rehia.

The whakapapa (genealogy) of this place is to be connected, to play, explore and to have fun – a space where joy and connection to the environment flourishes.

For Ngāti Rehia and the community, the purpose was to unite their ancestral stories (ngā taonga tuku iho) that reflect local identity and the enduring relationship to the land.

This is a significant project that uplifts the mauri and mana of their whakapapa, their place and the people.

"Therefore, may these treasures endure, and the mana of all endure, and if the land is sustained, so too will the people."

Katie Chilton says, "Building high-quality playgrounds can be costly, which makes it all the more important to maximize play value in every element. Each feature must work hard to engage children’s bodies, minds, and imaginations and ensure the space delivers meaningful, lasting impact.

The recipe for a great playground begins with visual excitement and incorporation of movement-based activities like swinging, sliding and climbing to stimulate physical and sensory development while encouraging social interaction.

But the true magic lies in play elements that seamlessly blend form and function. These are the features that tell stories, spark imagination, evoke memories, and invite children to return again and again . . . each time discovering something new.