From paddock to playground: skate park gives people a place to go

Since opening in 2019 The Tamahere skate park has been consistently busy (aside from the lockdowns) with multiple peak times attracting a diverse age group of people. The skate park is part of a larger ‘hub’ of facilities known as Tamahere Village.

It backs onto the field of Tamahere Model Country School and provides a prime destination for parents and children to enjoy once the school day has ended. After 6 or 7pm the second wave emerges at the skate park consisting of teenagers and adults.

“It would have been awesome to have these when I was growing up”

Jack Myles (19) is a Tamahere local and regular user of the skate park. According to Jack the large age range at the park doesn’t cause as many issues as you might imagine. He can only recall one occasion of a parent stepping in to “make sure her kid was getting a turn on the ramp”.

When asked if there were any similarities to the stereotype of protective locals in the surfing world, Jack disagreed. He said that everyone is really friendly and often more experienced skaters will offer tips if they see someone else spending a lot of time trying to complete a trick. He also mentioned that he will get commended by others if he manages to achieve a ‘run’ or trick he has been trying to do for a while.

Jack has seen the local facilities transform from just a school and a hall in his childhood into a central hub with a variety of shops and businesses. He says that “it would have been awesome to have these when I was growing up”, emphasising that the easy access motivated him to pursue skating.

The skate park is only a section
of the overall Tamahere Village, but it is noticeably one of the busiest
features. As an easy to access, inclusive zone it is a valuable asset to the
community of Tamahere that brings people together.