43°31′42″S 172°38′27″E / 43.52833°S 172.64083°E / -43.52833; 172.64083
The Margaret Mahy Playground – Tākaro ā Poi[1] is a playground in the Christchurch Central City on the banks of the Avon River.
Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the government's Recovery Plan had a "city-wide family playground" as one of the elements of the East Frame.[2] The playground opened on 22 December 2015, and it is the largest playground in the Southern Hemisphere.[3] A week prior to the opening, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) issued a press release reporting that the playground had cost NZ$3m to build,[4] and the local newspaper, The Press, reported this with the headline "$3m playground ready to open".[5] But within days, it became clear that the amount publicised by CERA was only a part of the cost; The Press reported that the total project cost exceeded NZ$40m, with NZ$19.6m for land purchase, NZ$1.3m for demolition of buildings, and NZ$20m for land development, including NZ$3m for the playground itself.[3][6]
The concept for the playground is based on deliberate but managed risk, with the project manager stating: "We accept more risk now in our playgrounds than we had 20 years ago."[7] Having mostly received an enthusiastic response from the public, there was criticism that such an expensive playground did not cater better for children with physical disabilities.[8] The playground is named for Margaret Mahy, New Zealand's famous children's author.[9] After it was reported in January 2016 that the slide got so hot during sunny summer days that it blistered fingers, shade sails were installed.[10] In April 2016, it was reported that additional adventure equipment for the playground had been ordered: climbing towers and "curly whirly slides".[7] An 8 metres (26 ft) spiral slide from one of the towers opened on 26 June and The Press reported "screams of terror and excitement".[11] Two weeks later, the towers and the slide were closed again "over safety concerns".[12]
The land incorporates the previous Elsie Locke Park, which was named after the famous activist in 1997 and was Christchurch's only park named after a resident during their lifetime.[13][14]
