PRO PE RT Y I N S I D E | PAG E S 30 -3 1
03 578 4719 Wednesday 28 May 2025
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Young Viticulturist of the year 2025
Tussocks’ time
Park protectors Page 7
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Page 23
Kindy kids’ concerns spark council re-think
The discovery of potential play hazards in a local park by a group of kindergarten children has prompted a Council rethink. In the course of their regular Nature Connection park explorations, Springlands Kindergarten students have uncovered several health and safety concerns, which have been passed on to the Marlborough District Council. Springlands Kindergarten children go to nearby Sheps Park for educational and play time in nature, and it was there that students uncovered exposed nail ends in neighbouring fences and waratah fence posts in bushes and around trees. The ensuing request to remedy the situation has made Marlborough District Council’s Parks and Services team rejig how they assess health and safety in the region’s public parks. “We go for safety walks and pick up rubbish before we play around the park and found these”, said Hugo.
“Having the nails ends and waratah posts here is dangerous, so we told teachers and keep away from there when we come”, added Wolf. Marlborough Kindergarten Association’s Gwenda Jones says the health and safety issues discovered by the students comes from the Nature Connection protocols of safety walks ahead of sessions and the kids’ explorative nature. “Most visitors to the park will stay on the grass or pathways, but having our kids do these Nature Connection lessons, going and connecting with open spaces and playing through the bushes, they see all sides of the space. “We tell them that if they see anything to let us know as they get more confident coming back to the same spaces, and so this meeting has literally come from their recommendations.” Springlands Kindergarten teacher Christine Loye loved that the kids had a sense of danger and had a sensible reaction. “It’s part of our teaching to get
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Wolf, Braxton and Hugo from Springlands Kindergarten showing Council Parks and Services team member Rachel McKenzie some dangers to their play in Sheps Park. Photo: William Woodworth.
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