Effective budget and resource management were important to our voluntary group. We had to raise funds directly from our community and we respected this in both our control of costs and in ensuring maximum value of spend.

Our fundraising was diverse, with received support from council, community groups, individuals, businesses, trusts, local and national grants. Tamariki even donated pocket money and helped fundraise - an all-community effort.

Our approach was simple but effective. We designed a wide-ranging, diverse, play space to meet community goals, be a true destination, and maximise quality and fun. We itemized elements with quality cost estimates wherever possible and prioritised each item. Doing this established a core “minimum” we felt needed to be achieved to deliver a space that met community expectations. We didn’t lose sight of the items above that “minimum” and worked hard to fundraise for them, but we did not commit to spend until we had the necessary funds. In this way we simply included valuable add-ons, and “extras” as funds allowed.

Timaru District Council supported our procurement and contract management, and Aoraki Foundation supported our donation receipting, giving the project reliable and trusted financial management partners. We further ensured careful management of funds and design, by engaging a professional project manager to support and link our voluntary design team and the District Councils interests. Despite setbacks of Covid and inflationary costs, we re-doubled fundraising efforts ensuring we raised enough to deliver on our goals and community expectations.

Our approach relied heavily on volunteers and in-kind contributions, which reduced costs and fostered community trust and ownership over outcomes. Harnessing local and national expertise, labour, and resources from various stakeholders helped stretch our budget. We were able to establish fixed price contracts with our surfacing and play equipment providers ensuring we weren’t at the mercy of rapidly rising construction costs that were typical in the lead up to and during our build.

Thousands of hours volunteered by CPlay over several years translated into substantial cost savings, and less pressure on local rates. Voluntary efforts spanned fundraising, marketing, artistic contributions, architectural work, on-site supervision, and design oversight.

Our emphasis on durable materials, low maintenance solutions, quality surfacing, graffiti and vandalism protection will reduce maintenance and replacement needs, ensuring long-term cost-effectiveness.

We are proud, in a challenging economic environment, to have delivered a high-quality, inclusive playground that surpassed expectations on budget, and on time.

CPlay Voluntary Committee

The CPlay Voluntary Committee, despite not having prior involvement in playgrounds, brought together a diverse range of skills. Over the past five years, the committee has included a representative from Mana Whenua. Their roles and responsibilities encompassed various critical areas: fundraising ($3M), community consultation involving over 30 individual groups and the general public through events, project communication through social media, the website, radio, and other media, conceptual design and design oversight, joint project management, joint steering group representation, and playground activation.

CPlay – Positives of Approach

The CPlay approach had several positive aspects. The committee was more readily trusted by the community, which allowed them to effectively separate fundraising from consultation. Starting without a rigid plan gave the community freedom and ownership over the project. This ownership over key outcomes and processes motivated the committee to contribute more. Additionally, not being a legal entity but receiving support from legal entities was crucial to their success.

Timaru District Council

The Timaru District Council played a significant supportive role. They provided initial funding through an LTP submission and ensured oversight to meet design and maintenance ambitions. Assigning a joint project manager was a crucial step. They also supported contract management and took ownership of the space once the project was completed. Importantly, they allowed CPlay to maintain its unique approach.

Aoraki Foundation

The Aoraki Foundation, as a registered charity, received donations on behalf of CPlay. This arrangement brought several benefits: the foundation was a trusted local charitable trust with a strong track record, they could refund GST on donations, and they removed the need for CPlay to be a registered charitable group. Additionally, the foundation was a project donor and supported the committee with interest.

Professional Contractors

Professional contractors played a vital role in transforming the project from concept to reality. They refined the designs into functional working drawings and managed fixed contracts through TDC procurement processes and the joint project manager. They worked closely with the project manager and design team and were adaptable, making necessary adjustments on the fly.

So what did we build?

The project resulted in a playground with over 40 pieces of play equipment, many featuring bespoke designs to inspire imaginative play and promote healthier, stronger bodies and happier minds. The playground was inclusive, catering to a range of ages, stages, abilities, and sizes. It offered challenging play to keep users engaged as they developed and grew. The design was meaningful, inspired by the stories and history of local people and places, and met standards suitable for educational use while still being fun.

58.6% of people in rural areas volunteer, compared to the national average of 50.7% and 47.5% for the major urban centres (Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch)... “Tap into resources, such as Best Practice Guidelines, to ensure volunteers have a great experience. 

- State of Volunteering Regional Report – volunteering in New Zealand’s regions analyses data from Volunteering New Zealand’s research and from Statistics New Zealand.