24 November 2022
More core boards/kupu atua have been put up at playgrounds around our region.
The large boards offer another way to communicate for our non-verbal children by having pictures beside 60 core words of our everyday vocabulary.
The user can point to the symbols and thereby share their message.
The boards in te reo Māori and English are now up at;
- Hauora Tairāwhiti Playground
- Lions Junior Cycle Park
- Adventure Playground
- Te Karaka playground
- Patutahi playground.
A further five are about to be installed in playgrounds along the East Coast.
Council Liveable Communities Director Michele Frey says these core boards help set an inclusive tone for our community.
“We are so happy to have five more core boards up in our region’s playgrounds. This brings the total in Tairāwhiti to six after one went up at the Botanical Gardens in May.
“We’ve heard how they make a big difference to anyone who communicates non-verbally. Our parks are here for all of us to enjoy and are such an important part of growing up in this community.
“We thank the Ministry of Education for this initiative, for funding them in our area, and to help make communication easier for anyone who is non-verbal.”
The core boards include a QR-code, so anyone can scan the code and take an image with them either to print or keep using on their phone.
This is an innovative initiative of the MoE Learning Support team, who worked in collaboration with different members of our community, in particular whānau and educators of tamariki who use core boards as part of everyday life. Trust Tairāwhiti also funded $10,000 towards the project.
