Playground standard caps Lange effort

Press, 20 February 1986, Page 2

Playground standard caps Lange effort

Wellington reporter The Prime Minister, Mr Lange, yesterday officiated at the launching of the New Zealand Standard for playground equipment, capping a campaign he began in Opposition six years ago. He said his attention was first drawn to the unsatisfactory nature of playgrounds when a boy in his Mangere electorate broke his skull by falling 2 metres from a climbing frame on to concrete. The child’s mother, Mrs G. A. Cooper; brought her concerns to Mr Lange as the local member of Parliament and he wrote to the Accident Compensation Commission on her behalf asking if any study had been done. He said he had been

astonished to learn not only that it was common practice to have concrete landing pads under playground equipment but that it was regarded as desirable and safer than other materials. The commission had responded by starting an inquiry, the end result of which was the standard launched yesterday. Mrs Cooper and her son, Michael, described by Mr Lange as “a catalyst for this process,” were at yesterday’s ceremony in the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Mr Lange said it was fitting that they were there, and welcomed them.