Children across Canterbury will benefit from ‘play therapy’ as a mechanism for improving wellbeing and mental health, as part of a partnership between Mana Ake – Stronger for Tomorrow and Sport Canterbury.

Sport Canterbury gifted 26 packs of sporting equipment, one for each cluster, to Mana Ake kamahi (workers) in a demonstration event at the Design Lab in July.

At the session Sport Canterbury staff introduced kaimahi to the items included in the packs and went through a variety of games and activities the equipment could be used for to achieve a variety of outcomes.

Alena Keating, Mana Ake kaimahi who is employed by Family Help Trust, said it was great to learn how they best meet the needs of the young people in terms of developing their skills through play.

“I think the kit will be a really good way to engage young people into Mana Ake, particularly the groups we run. It’s great for them to learn about friendship skills and how we can learn to work together towards goals.”

Phillip Vailfale, Mana Ake kaimahi employed by Etu Pasifika, added: “No kid likes to be stuck inside a room talking about their feelings but through play a lot more discussions can happen.”

Desiree Ettmuller, Mana Ake Practice Lead said: “We’re really grateful to Sport Canterbury for this generous donation and the opportunity to further collaborate. It will make a huge difference in helping our kaimahi create environments and activities that promote positive conversations around managing out tamariki’s wellbeing.”