School's $60K rusty problem

Schoolyard laughter and excitement giving way to 'shoddy” rusting joinery and steel on a playground isn't a combination any parent or school wants to be met with.

Kaimai School principal Dane Robertson with pupils Sam McLean, 10, and Natalia Hopping, 9, on the playground. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Unfortunately the potentially unsafe dilemma is what Kaimai School has on its hands with a $60,000 replacement bill to rectify the problem.

Two years ago the school was preparing to repaint its playground, purchased in 2006, only to be told it was rusting from the inside out, producing an unsafe environment for the students.

Purchased by the school's PTA at a cost of $15,000-$20,000 the playground was imported from China through Silly Billy's, a playground company that went into receivership in 2010.

'You would expect a playground lasting more than nine years. It's disappointing,” says Kaimai School principal Dane Robertson.

Playground Centre recreation consultant Glenn Mars, in email correspondence with Dane, confirms the playground was a Chinese import – one of five installed in New Zealand before the company went bankrupt.

Glenn outlines a lengthy list of faults associated with the company's playgrounds, starting off by describing the workmanship and materials as nothing less than ‘shoddy'.

The quality of the steel activities and poles was very thin, in most cases 1-2mm, causing the poles to rust from the inside out due to poor steel preparation. The powder coating was also very poor, put on directly over the raw rusty steel, and the plastics were not UV stable.

'The NZ Safety Standards were questionable, especially with fixings and finger entrapment, and a lot of the designs were copied from major overseas companies,” states Glenn.

'As you will appreciate this led to some very unhappy customers both here and in Australia.”

But Glenn does concede, given the playground lasted nine years opposed to the average of four seen with others, the school should count itself lucky it lasted ‘reasonably well'.

Latest assessments conclude at least half the playground – consisting of monkey bars, slides and a mini rock climbing wall – will have to be pulled down this year.

Dane says the school wants to be proactive and pull it all down, eliminating all chance of rust related accidents.

Rust on the school playground.

In the meantime the school is setting its sights on fundraising $60,000 for a replacement as the Ministry of Education doesn't offer funds for such projects. It is hoped to match what is currently installed in terms of equipment with a mix of both timber and steel.

'Speaking to the assessors they knew exactly who we got it from and their comments were ‘your guys lasted a lot longer than other people'. They think that's because we are a lot further from the ocean so the salt air hasn't got to it.”

'We are hoping that maybe there are some really generous trusts out there that might be able to fund half of what we have raised.”

As part of the school's fundraising efforts all proceeds from this weekend's annual Kaimai Golf Classic will go towards replacing the playground.

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14 comments

Hot dip galvanize

Posted on 08-03-2015 09:17 | By SonnyJim

Buy new equipment unpainted and get it galvanized in Hamilton, it is far cheaper than paint. The process will coat both inside and out and last 40-50 years without unseen corrosion problems. A working-bee to remove burrs from the new zinc surface will be needed but you will end up with a quality set of equipment that will have a good resale value if you upgrade later. If the kids wear the zinc off the ladders after 4-5 years just send them back for re-coating, still cheaper than paint. It is shocking to see so many thin tube products on sale that are rusting on the inside and customers don't have a clue.


Three Little Words = Buyer Beware

Posted on 08-03-2015 09:51 | By Disappointed

It should come as no surprise to anyone that playground equipment made from Chinese steel has failed to last the distance. From melamine laced infant formula to asbestos lined railway engines the words "Made in China" are the 21st Century version of caveat emptor. The scariest thing that people have yet to consider is that in this earthquake prone country there is an awful lot of Chinese steel in modern buildings.


Support Locals

Posted on 08-03-2015 10:57 | By GreertonCynic

Why not get the students to design what they want, then send the plans to a local company for fabrication? Then send it to Perrys for galvanising, who will also remove the burrs.


Not galvanised

Posted on 08-03-2015 12:02 | By YOGI BEAR

The rust is major, clearly the product supplied is deficient and or not maintained. Try "rust killer" ops well hmmm looks to be to late for that.


Dennim

Posted on 08-03-2015 13:59 | By Dennim

Hi Contact Playground People in Drury Auckland their Playgrounds Last. Take a look at the Playground by Baywave in Arataki. Or contact Leith McFadden. Regards, Dennis


Why not

Posted on 09-03-2015 01:16 | By GreertonBoy

Ask secondary schools with metalwork departments to reproduce the rusted pieces? Maybe high schools still have metalwork lie Tauranga Intermediate and TBC had, if not maybe technical colleges/institutions can get apprentices to recreate/repair it? Just a thought...


get what paid for

Posted on 09-03-2015 04:46 | By rosscoo

And our government wants to do deals with China and yet everything they make never lasts. Just more cheap crap to sell to suckers. Get John Key to pay for it as he wants to do business with this country.


What did they expect?

Posted on 09-03-2015 08:04 | By Kenworthlogger

People in this world YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!! Will New Zealanders ever learn????


Wisechief

Posted on 09-03-2015 08:31 | By Wise Chief

To extend its useful life and make it stronger just buy a few cans of refrigeration insulation foam and spray inside the holes until the stuff comes out and fills the cavity area. This spray also inhibits oxygen so will stop the rust digging deeper. A wire brush and healthy dollop of rust prohibitor on the externals where rust is showing will fix the rest and a few enamel spray coatings over the top to clean up and it will be near good as new. Little point in wasting school money where 60K replacement cost which is a bit steep can be used to buy stuff to further kids education. Ipads etc. Sometimes a bit of lateral thinking can resolve the seemingly intractable and at far less cost.


get what pay for, maybe?

Posted on 09-03-2015 08:44 | By YOGI BEAR

Perhaps what was supplied (ex China or not) simply is not galvanized, was that stated in the detail/quote obtained before buying? If not then no one else to blame for this one, if it was then go back to the supplier for a remedy.


seesee

Posted on 09-03-2015 12:49 | By SeeSee

Yes, as iy is said, you get what you pay for. For instance, just take those new trains they recently got from China. Yes, all because Key thinks the sun shines from some where in that area.


Rust never sleeps

Posted on 09-03-2015 13:18 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Why is this plaything made from steel? Try wood - it never rusts, maintain with a lick of paint every year then no problems!


poor quality imports

Posted on 09-03-2015 16:11 | By zambo

The problem doesn't just effect that school. Look at the fence around Pilot Bay Camp ground, funded by our Tauranga rates to a tune of over $50,000 I suspect. The whole fence has deteriorated and is now being replaced again at a cost to the rate payers. Council has elected to re install the fence with the exact same imported poor quality panel. The only difference is that they have been powder coated locally. Still the same poor quality steel, and hot dipped galvanizing that allows stuff like this to rust from the inside out. GO figure! ask the question, why make the same mistake again?


The

Posted on 10-03-2015 05:05 | By Jimmy Ehu

if you are price driven over quality, you get what you pay for, hence the success of the "Warehouse" empire, the public drive it, and demand cheap rubbish, the same principle applies when a contractor has submitted a cost for supplying or constructing a playground, did the school board look at the quality of the product, or just the bottom line, most will be hooked on the bottom line and are price driven, well guess what it is your own fault!!!!.


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