The Hamilton Park Fun Fest, held on Children’s Day, had the Gore District Council partnering with Community Networking Trust to put on the event.
The event was entirely free, as Community Networking Trust Heartland services co-ordinator Kelly Young said the two organisations got together to make it as accessible as possible.
‘‘The idea of it is, we remove all the financial barriers to whanau taking time out to spend time with their community and celebrate Children’s Day together, at no costs to themselves,’’ she said.
‘‘We’re really joining forces to make it bigger and better,’’ she said.
Children were delighted to enjoy the various activities, which included ta moko facepainting, bouncy castles, miniature train rides, and everything in-between.
Police and Fire and Emergency Services were there, there were obstacle courses, races, Riding for the Differently Abled, magic shows, there was a little something for everyone to enjoy.
Mrs Young said the day was important in bringing people together for such a fun day of celebration and youth.
‘‘It’s incredibly important. It’s an absolute privilege to come together and put these things on for our community, for them to enjoy and connect with others,’’ she said.
‘‘[Attendance] is hard to measure. We sort of go on how many sausages we’ve given out.
‘‘I’m looking at the carpark though, they’re parked right out to the street on the grass. I’ve never seen this many cars.
‘‘It’s crazy. I think it would be [record-breaking]. And yet, it’s super chill, people are just sitting on the grass, enjoying the vibe,’’ she said.
Mrs Young thanked all the sponsors and volunteers who helped make the day possible, and Mrs Potts said it was a fantastic way to start Parks Week in Gore.
