Tauranga has proved it knows how to play, with four wins at the 2025 Recreation Aotearoa Parks Awards in Auckland this week.

Tauranga City Council walked away with two category wins and two merit awards, shining a national spotlight on its commitment to creating inclusive, locally led public spaces that reflect the Bay of Plenty’s unique culture and communities.

Te Papa Tākaro o Matua took out Playspace of the Year (under $500,000), while the bustling Tauranga Waterfront Playground won in the over $500,000 category. Waitaha Reserve and the Kōpūrererua Valley restoration project were both recognised with merit awards.

Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular said the awards celebrated a new approach to how council creates public spaces.

“These awards recognise our focus on building spaces that are locally led and enjoyed,” said Ms Scoular.

The Matua and Waitaha Reserve projects were both fully designed, delivered, and managed by council staff — a move that kept costs down and made it easier to bring locals into the process from the start.

The Matua playspace transformed a tired neighbourhood park into a vibrant, inclusive space shaped by ideas from local hapū Ngāi Tamarāwaho, children and scout groups.

The Waterfront Playground, now a magnet for families in the city centre, was celebrated for its use of natural materials and strong cultural design narrative connecting the site to Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour. Local schoolchildren played a key role in shaping the look and feel of the playground.

Waitaha Reserve impressed judges with its larger-scale, in-house delivery and close collaboration with hapū Ngāti He, while the Kōpūrererua Valley restoration was applauded for blending long-term environmental restoration with better recreation access.

“We’ve had great feedback from the community that spaces like this are important to them,” said Scoular. “The most successful parks and play spaces are those created with the people who will use them.”

From harbourfront playgrounds to restored bush corridors, Tauranga is showing the rest of Aotearoa how to build places people love – and it’s winning awards for it too.