Cancer Society NZ — App makes playground selection a walk in the park

Just in time for the school holidays, a University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka academic has released a web app to help take the guesswork out of a trip to the playground.

NZ Playground Explorer, funded by Lottery Health, Cancer Society of New Zealand, and the University of Otago, provides equipment and facility information for more than 3550 playgrounds across the motu.

Created by Dr Bronwen McNoe, of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, the app contains filterable detailed information and photographs of every council managed playground in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“I thought this would be really valuable for parents and caregivers. The app can tell you which playgrounds offer good shade, as well as a wealth of details on play equipment such as pump tracks and flying foxes, and amenities such as public toilets and barbeque facilities.

“A great feature is that all this information is filterable – if your child loves diggers, you can easily find all the playgrounds in New Zealand that feature diggers,” she says.

Along with helping parents find a playground their children will enjoy, the app enables them to find one which is also good for their health.

Skin cancer is a significant issue in New Zealand, with 100,000 cases annually and treatment costs exceeding $400 million.

“This largely preventable disease is almost entirely caused by excessive sun exposure, with childhood exposure being a critical risk factor.

“Ensuring shade in areas where children live, learn, and play is crucial for their protection from the sun. By making our environments SunSmart, it’s easier for parents to keep their children safe. However, parents need to know which playgrounds offer adequate shade for their children,” Dr McNoe says.

Emma Shields, a Cancer Society spokesperson, says the organisation is delighted to be part of this collaboration.

“This is a revolutionary new app which could help communities across New Zealand to be more SunSmart by helping them identify where they can find shade in playgrounds.

“Even though summer is over, the UV can still be strong enough to burn until the end of April. This app is launching just in time for the Easter school holidays when it’s still important to Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap when enjoying the outdoors.”

This means slipping on clothes to cover as much skin as possible; slipping into shade, especially during the middle of the day; slopping on sunscreen of at least SPF 30 every two hours; slapping on a wide-brimmed hat; and wrapping on close-fitting, sun-protective sunglasses.

Dr McNoe utilised data from an academic project assessing shade in public outdoor spaces to produce the resource.

She wanted to make the extensive information she gathered easily accessible to the public to help them find well shaded playgrounds.

She also wants to encourage councils to think about shade when renovating or creating playgrounds.

“Councils are responsible for many of the outdoor recreational areas we use every day – they need to systematically consider the inclusion of shade in relation to these areas. That might be trees, gazebos or shade sails depending on the type of space it is.

“There is a feedback mechanism in the app where you can share your opinions on shade. This feedback can then be shared with councils.”

Dr McNoe hopes to expand the app to include outdoor swimming pools, and skateparks in the future.

NZ Playground Explorer:

https://www.otago.ac.nz/cancer-society-research/playgrounds

For more information please contact:

Dr Bronwen McNoe

Department of Preventive and Social Medicine

University of Otago

Mob: 027 634 3552

Email: bronwen.mcnoe@otago.ac.nz

Ellie Rowley

Media Adviser