June 30, 2022

Sport Waitākere takes home two awards at the national Kūmara Awards

Kaōre te kūmara e kōrero ki tōna ake reka.

The kūmara does not brag about its own sweetness.

But others do! Celebrating outstanding place-making across Aotearoa, this year the team took home two awards for the Gear Up Play Boxes and M2M (Maunga to Moana).

From Little Things Big Things Grow Award: Gear Up Play Boxes

Gear Up Play Boxes won the award for enabling everyday fun, creativity and play among local children in many local (and sometimes unexpected) places. Co-ordinated by Sport Waitākere and funded by NZ Community Trust, the boxes include a variety of play equipment suitable for most age groups. They are located in a number of community spaces, including Pataka Kai, Libraries, Schools, Sports Clubs, Community Hubs and Shopping Precincts. Community members can borrow, play with and return the gear for others. The aim is for each local community to own and care for the box and add any gear they would like.

Look Back to Move Forward Award: M2M

M2M, now known as Active Whakapapa, won the award for celebrating places of cultural significance by creating an immersive storytelling experience collaboratively designed to celebrate Te Ao Māori whilst participating in physical activity. Through Te Reo Māori, waiata and English, a recorded headset shares the whakapapa of the whenua underfoot.

Its design works to educate and connect people to place and space and looks to normalise Te Reo Māori being heard, seen, and spoken in our local parks and green spaces.

Initially taking place in Te Atatū Orangahina Harbourview Park, the kaupapa now includes Henderson Park.

In partnership with Time Unlimited, Papaya Stories, Te Pou Theatre and Community Waitākere, an Active Whakapapa experience was designed for community and local schools. For the month of June 2022, events were held each Wednesday and Saturday in both locations, enabling Active Whakapapa to reach more people in our West Auckland communities, to bring the kaupapa to new places and most importantly, for te reo Māori and Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) to be spoken and learned in our local parks and green spaces. Not only are the community participating, but this funding has enabled our team to offer the kaupapa to schools, aligning with the new history curriculum, Te Takanga o Te Wā in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Local Marae, Iwi and Hapū have generously shared stories collected for Active Whakapapa.