Over 8 weeks during Term 4 of 2023, Gather Landscape Architecture worked closely with Te Kōmanawa Rowley School (TKRS) to develop an innovative co-design project with Year 6 tamariki as part of their technology curriculum.

As part of a brief, tamariki identified a lack of outdoor play experiences relevant for their age group and were keen to create hiding places, quiet spots for two or three children to hang out together, secret places and places to climb, all close to their native forest 🌿

Tauhi Vā in Tongan means to nurture and care for the relationship between people and things. As one of the core school values this helped frame the design process and outcomes of the project.

The children played an integral part in co-designing three structures, and then constructed them with their whānau within their school playground.

Deputy Principal Niki Penny commented, “we used the cultural narrative and the richness of this as the basis for learning … te reo Māori and also the Aotearoa Histories curriculum. It’s a fabulous way to do an integrated unit of learning. Such a rich experience that you can build upon in lot of different ways. This is good curriculum in action!”