Walter Nash Park: Common Ground

Ka mau te wēhi! ( This is a bit of classic Ngāti Porou kōrero when speaking of something awesome)



What a brilliant celebration we shared on Saturday at our BNZ Hoops ‘n Parks event which was true collaborACTION.



A huge thank you to everyone who contributed their time and resources. From Katana who baked a scrumptious apple crumble to sweeten us up, to all those working behind the scenes to give play, fun, art, food and music experiences to the local community of Taita. I won’t try and name everyone but you all know who you are and what a difference you made. That positive vibe that kept us pumping all day is a fine memory to hold on to in these ‘challenging’ times. The example of what can happen when we find common ground and bring our combined talents together is a kind of magic. The teams of BNZ, Nuku Ora, Hutt City Council, Free Ride, Capital Basketball, Saints, Queens and our partners in Te Awa Kairangi can take a bow.



When Matua Simon opened us up with a blessing and Arohanui Strings played their hearts out, incorporating a happy birthday song for seven year old Potiki Kingston, it set a special tone to the day. As Charlie and Regina did the finishing touches to Mokopuna (our whare on the courts) and we locked up for the night, those squeals of laughter and excitement that our visiting basketball stars had generated among the tamariki, seemed to echo still. The bouncing of basketballs around the rohe is ongoing and bringing delight to many, young and old.(Those colourful BNZ basketball bags are also a new Taita fashion statement and in big demand.)

Kia ora koutou

August has come around quickly and we are preparing for our second shot at the ‘hoops in parks’ celebration originally planned for June.

Thank you to those who have already offered their help on the day be it in performances, baking or volunteering your time to lift and carry, fix bikes, arts’n crafts or playing with tamariki who can’t quite reach those tall hoops.

Please see attached the updated fliers to share on your networks and join us on Saturday, 15th August for a day of free fun in our transformed park.

Play days in the park are ongoing every Wednesday and a reminder that our friends from Free Ride will be around for bike fixing on the 15th along with all the basketball stars and giveaways

Kia ora koutou



In an effort to keep our ‘head above water’ re finances, this is a call out to a handyman or woman who could help patch the broken pellet at the pātaka kai at the park. It’s the pellet which lies in front of the cupboard and it gets plenty of traffic, so it’s not surprising one of the planks has cracked. Many people utilise the pātaka and it is very much a shared community resource so if there’s someone out there who can help, please let Sue know and she can organise the wood or just roll up and fix it with bits’n pieces from home. One day when we’re flush with putea we will build a more resilient concrete mat but for now, as we have done in the past, we make do with what we can.



A reminder that Wednesday play days don’t run during the holidays, so enjoy yourselves until we catch up again on the 23rd July.



Tātou tātou Taita!

Aue! Sorry to say that NZ Basketball has had to postpone the Walter Nash Park activation launch until mid August due to the weather forecast for this weekend. Please share this update with neighbours, friends and your networks.



Thanks to everyone who stepped up to prepare for this event (see a few photos attached) and we can all look forward to that celebration later in winter as a warm up. Locals are making good use of the spruced up courts and Chris from Downer filled the sandpit, much to the joy of tamariki at yesterday’s playday, so lots of smiles despite the postponement.



All the best for everyone performing at Hutt Fest. From preschoolers to college rangatahi it’s great to see all those shining stars.



Mā te wā



Whaea Sue

The Walter Nash Park courts resurfacing and sports activation launch has finally been confirmed for Saturday, 27th June ( 28th if weather necessitates)

Please share the appropriate poster with any of your local networks ( such a lot to choose from thanks to BNZ and NZ Basketball tech wizards )



The resurfaced courts and new sports posts, hoops and nets are already being utilised by all ages and we look forward to seeing you there to celebrate and thank all who have partnered to make this happen.



With all the activities, kai, music and games on the day it will be great to have helping hands on deck, so contact Whaea Sue if you can assist in any way. NZ Basketball and Hutt City Council are sorting all the major roles but we want to show our thanks by supporting the day and the wonderful resources that have been gifted to our community. eg anyone who would like to put their artistic skills to use, a few big cards we can all sign and gift on the day would be awesome or if you can help pump up balls that have been donated, that’s another job to be done before the 27th.



Our usual playday activities as well as other sports gear and bikes will be out alongside the basketball stars, so be assured there’s something for everyone at any age to enjoy.



Tātou Tātou Taita!

Thanks to Isbella and her whānau for their continued support of Common Ground. Isbella’s latest art creation from our local community thanking Erica and Struan for their pātaka kai installation, was this beautiful rock painting. We finally presented it last week and it was gratefully received. Isbella also had the opportunity to admire the treasure trove of art that encompasses Erica and Struan’s home.



Court update – although we are still awaiting the posts which are being couriered from Auckland, we are going ahead with our regular playdays at the park starting tomorrow, 10th June from midday ( fingers crossed the weather holds up) If Eddie and Johnny are working on site we will work around them. The date for the activation event will be confirmed once the court works are completed but the last date flagged by NZ Basketball was 27th or 28th June. That will be a day to celebrate all the work that has been carried out around the courts and upskill on our basketball moves.



The Ara Tūao / community volunteer expo flier attached also reminds us to thank all the volunteers that currently assist at playdays. Regina, Alexa and Caro’s team from Taita College are magic in keeping us all supported as well as whānau that contribute in so many ways. Kia kaha tātou!

Hope everybody enjoyed the long weekend. The park courts are looking great but there are still sports posts to install. Eddie and Johnny were there Friday, digging and pouring concrete and that needs ten days to cure before the posts can go in so we won’t be back on board for playdays until 10th of June at this stage. Paku is waiting patiently.



We are also waiting to confirm the activation event with Basketball NZ , Hutt City Council, Nuku Ora and community partners. Saturday, 20th June is the likely date, but more on that soon.

If you are looking for something to do for Samoan Language week here it is.

Workshop Details:
Location: Naenae Library Hub
Date & Time: Thursday 4th June, 3.30pm – 5.00pm and Friday 5th June, 10am – 12pm
More information & Free registration:

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Kia ora koutou,

Some snaps of the mahi happening at Walter Nash Park.

Playdays is on hold while this mahi is being done.

A few more basketball photos from our 2018 archives and some updates on the courts.

Resurfacing will go ahead next week, Wednesday 20th, Thursday and Friday 22nd and the courts will be unavailable for a couple of weeks after that as markings and new posts are sorted. We will soon be able to let you know of a big activation day where we can celebrate the new improved space with NZ Basketball in partnership with BNZ, Nuku Ora, Healthy Families, Hutt City Council and our local community sharing time and resources to play. A Saturday date will be confirmed soon, once the mahi is completed but just wanted to put out the taster that there will be plenty of food, fun, music and action for everyone coming up that should keep the Winter blues at bay.



We’ll keep you posted on that and please make the job of our contractors easy and give them a real welcome to our community. It needs us all working together and the success will be shared.



Tātou Tātou Taita