Play

Play Your Way - Play Week 20 - 26 October 2025

Play Week is a Sport New Zealand initiative that celebrates tamariki and their right to play. This year’s Bay of Plenty theme is Play Your Way – a reminder that play looks different for every child, and every kind of play matters.

We’re encouraging parents, whānau, schools, and communities to enable play by giving tamariki the time, space, and permission to explore, imagine, move, and connect in ways that bring them joy. Whether it’s climbing trees, creating games, playing sport, or simply mucking around with friends – play is how tamariki learn, grow, and thrive.

Let’s work together to protect and promote play in our everyday lives – because every child deserves the chance to Play Their Way.

Visit our Events page to see Play Week events or post your own.

Events

Play allows children to experience fun, joy and laughter in a way that is important to them. That is why it is some of our earliest memories. It’s also where children can be active, develop and practice life skills.

Every Child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and arts.
- Article 31-United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

  • Play is intrinsically motivated. It's spontaneous and will happen anywhere.
  • Play is personally directed, with no or limited adult involvement.
  • Play is freely chosen. It's self-determined with no pre-determined outcome.
  • Play is fun, accessible, challenging, social and repeatable.

At Sport Bay of Plenty, we champion play and promote its benefits. Our Regional Play System Lead works across the Bay of Plenty to grow play opportunities.

This includes supporting schools to be community play spaces and helping our tamariki to have safe and enjoyable routes to school.

We also administer the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund where programmes or projects involving play for tamariki can be eligible for potential funding. Head to our funding page to learn more.

Why play?

  • Play is important to the wellbeing of young New Zealanders and is a crucial part of physical, cognitive, social/emotional and spiritual development for young people.
  • Play in physical activity form is a fun way to develop fundamental movement skills and physical literacy.
  • Play improves resilience, independence and leadership by determining their own outcomes.
  • Play helps better decision-making based around elements of challenge and risk.
  • Play improves a young person’s understanding of their relationship with the physical environment.
  • Play encourages self-directed creativity and innovation.
  • Play improves social and emotional connection.

Further reading

To further understand what play looks like in our region, there are two reports we encourage you to read.

Power of Play - A deep dive into stakeholders’ thoughts on what play looks like in the Bay now and opportunities for the future.

Power of Play Report

Neighbourhood Play Systems – a look at two local primary schools and how various urban systems can impact play.

Western Heights Primary School and Aorangi Primary School

Merivale School Te Kura o Tūtarawānanga

Contact Sport Bay Of Plenty

We're working to grow play opportunities at a neighbourhood level. Please contact our Regional Play System Lead, if you would like to discuss play in your community. Always up for a play challenge? How good are you at rolling down a hill?

Learn more: Sport New Zealand - Play, Play Aotearoa New Zealand

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