Share an Idea was an unprecedented initiative which allowed the people of Christchurch to do many things – share, care, gather, dream and look ahead, following the 2011 earthquakes. I remember one of the themes that emerged was a desire to provide children who visit the city with something fun to do, as old central Christchurch had no playgrounds and was pretty sterile for children.
The Margaret Mahy Playground is at least one of the 106,000 Shared Ideas ticked off. It was great to experience thousands of children enjoying the diverse range of playground equipment during the holidays. It was also great to check out the Art Gallery, now reopened and being used for its intended purpose. Interestingly, very close to the Bull in the photo is where much of the Share an Idea analysis was completed in 2011, when the gallery was repurposed as the Emergency Response Headquarter as well as the temporary home for Christchurch City Council.
