Wow, over 600 people were transported into a place of fun and free play in Dargaville recently.

As part of the Kaipara Tamariki Collective’s Vision to provide free events that encourage families of the Kaipara to play together, the Dargaville Town Hall was transformed into a place of fun, fantasy and play for our Tamariki and Whānau (check out the video here).

The Anzac Theatre, part of the Town Hall complex, screened short cartoons for the families to enjoy. “It was great to see the families filling the movie theatre, some may have never been to the movies together before” says Whānau Focus Manager, Rachel Ashford.

Other attractions included the bouncy castles and slides, Clowns and balloon animal making, face painting, Circus skills, pop up playgrounds, free fruit, BBQ, milo and lots of free play.   

To make this possible the Collective, that consists of a core group of local organisations including Kumarani, Te Ha Oranga, Kaipara District Council, Whānau Focus, Oranga Tamariki, Silver Fern Farms and Sport Northland along with Early Years Hub and the Anzac Theatre all donated their time and resources to ensure that the event was FREE.

“There were so many smiling faces and that is what makes it worthwhile” says Cara Donaldson from Te Ha Oranga.