Skate Guidelines for Local Government
With the growth of skateboarding and other wheeled sports in Aotearoa New Zealand, councils, national sporting organisations (NSOs), communities, skatepark designers and builders face new challenges.
Skateboarding surged in popularity in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and following its inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. With their accessibility and independent nature, skateboarding and other wheeled physical activities are continuing to increase in popularity. Communities are now pushing for councils to invest more in facilities, opportunities and programmes that cater to skate. Providing for skate facilities and opportunities is different from providing for playgrounds or sports fields. This is because projects can be standalone or integrated and can sit within parks, urban design, transport, community services or planning teams.
In collaboration with key stakeholders, Sport NZ has produced a set of guidelines to provide best practise to councils to plan, fund, design, build and activate skate spaces in Aotearoa.
The New Zealand skate community is diverse and together we can better deliver to the needs of communities across Aotearoa.
Image Credit: Brad Makatoa
Skate Guidelines for Local Government highlight the diversity of the skate community and provide detailed guidance on how to go about building authentic relationships with communities, working with designers, building a skate space or park and getting the most out of your park.
This guidance supports a growing request from Councils for support to understand and overcome the challenges they face when it comes to skate provision.
These guidelines draw on both national and international examples and are based on interviews with councils, skateboarders, NSOs, skate schools, associations and photographers, scooter riders and artists.
A new survey from Skateboarding NZ provides a deep insight into the makeup and behaviour of the skate community across the country, which has been incorporated into the guidelines.
To take a deeper look into the results, click here to view the survey.
Join the conversation
In addition to the guidelines, a special interest group was formed for Councils working on skate projects. This group meets quarterly, sharing best practise and lessons learned and providing a platform to connect. The hui is managed by Recreation Aotearoa. If you are interested in joining, get in touch with the coordinator here.