Play is an essential part of healthy communities.
Whether it’s climbing, running, jumping, creating, or simply having fun — play helps people of all ages stay active, connected, and well.
A playful city is one where everyone has the opportunity to play — every day, in every neighbourhood.
How play affects our health
Play is more than just fun — it’s a vital part of healthy development and lifelong wellbeing.
For tamariki, play helps improve:
- physical strength, coordination, and confidence
- emotional wellbeing and self-regulation
- social skills and teamwork
- creativity and imagination.
For rangatahi, adults, and kaumātua, play can help:
- increase physical activity
- improve mental wellbeing
- build creativity and problem-solving skills
- strengthen social connections.
The state of play in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
While Auckland has more than 940 playgrounds across the region, not all tamariki and families have the same opportunities to play.
Barriers to play can include:
- a lack of safe places to play
- unsafe routes to get to parks or playgrounds, for example a lack of safe road crossings or dangerously fast roads which discourage active transport
- cost to access play facilities
- limited access hours for play spaces, including those in schools
- limited play structures in some neighbourhoods
- limited time to enjoy play, because of busy family schedules.
When public spaces feel unsafe or are not welcoming it also makes it harder for children to play freely.
Encouraging and supporting play
To support healthier communities, we want Auckland’s environments to better support safe and free play. This can be achieved through:
- providing more free, local, and inclusive play opportunities
- increasing access to parks, playgrounds, and greenspaces
- creating safer walking and cycling routes to public play spaces
- increasing support for community-led, culturally relevant play activities
- making the spaces we use everyday more playful — our footpaths, driveways, parks and living rooms.
Supporting everyday play in your community and home
Play doesn’t need expensive equipment. It simply requires opportunities for imagination, movement, and social connection. Everyday play can be sparked by simple ideas such as:
- chalk trails or hopscotch on the footpath
- backyard obstacle courses or scavenger hunts
- nature-based play in local parks
- whānau games, movement, music or storytelling at home.
Supporting equitable access to play
To create more equitable access to play in Auckland, we can:
- support local initiatives that provide free and low-cost play
- promote inclusive and culturally relevant spaces
- design neighbourhoods that make it easier for everyone to be active and playful
- increase support for community-led play, working with tamariki, rangatahi, whānau, hapori and mana whenua. This will help create play environments that are welcoming, accessible, and relevant to the people who use them.