- Est. 2016
- Award-winning nationwide
- NZS 5828 certified
- NZ-wide
One team, start to finish
Searching for playground design in NZ that goes further than a catalogue swing set starts here. Creo designs and builds playspaces for schools, councils, early childhood centres, landscape architects and commercial sites across the country, running design, equipment, surfacing, shelters and construction through one team. You deal with a single point of contact from the first phone call to the day your community walks in and starts playing. Since 2016 we have delivered award winning playgrounds on time and on budget, every time, and every project on this page is proof of that, not a promise.
Every project starts from the same place, a site and a community unlike any other, so the design process starts there too rather than from a catalogue page. A single climbing structure for an early childhood centre and a landmark park for a district council move through the same team, the same process and the same standard of finish.
Full playground design and build services
Design and Build
Full concept to completion service, tailored to your site and your community.
Equipment
Surfacing
Pour’n’Play, PermaTurf, PermaPlay and more, engineered for safety and durability.
Complete Packages
Shelters
PlayShapes
Sculptural, colourful play elements that turn any space into somewhere worth stopping.
What to check before you
commit a playground budget
A playground commitment runs into six figures and stays in the ground for a decade or more. Serious buyers check five things before signing, and every one of them holds up under scrutiny at Creo.
01
Track record
Ask how many playgrounds a company has actually built, not just designed, and ask for real references from schools and councils willing to be contacted directly. Creo has delivered award winning playspaces for schools, councils and early childhood centres nationwide since 2016, and stands behind every reference on this page.
02
Material quality
Check for treated timber rated for New Zealand conditions, galvanised steel components, and surfacing certified to NZS 5828:2015. Anything less shortens the life of the playground and raises the maintenance bill within a few years.
03
Play value
A strong design gives every age group a reason to keep coming back, with clear flow between equipment and space to pause between activities. This is the difference between a playground used every lunchtime and one that sits empty within a year.
04
A single point of contact
Coordinating a designer, an equipment supplier, a surfacing contractor and a builder separately puts the project management risk on you. Creo runs all four through one project manager, so that risk sits with us instead.
05
Certified compliance
Every piece of equipment and every surface carries certification to NZS 5828, backed by a Site-Specific Safety Plan on complete builds. Ask to see the certification directly, and treat a company unwilling to show it as a warning sign, not a technicality.
Built around who you are,
not just what you need
Councils
Ratepayer money under scrutiny needs a delivery partner that arrives at tender ready, with compliance, references and a fixed price locked in before council sign off. Creo builds tender documentation, NZS 5828 certification and a proven delivery record into every council proposal from the outset.
School Boards of Trustees
Early childhood centres
Sensory rich, age appropriate design matters here more than almost anywhere else, alongside a safety standard that satisfies parents and Ministry of Education requirements alike. Creo designs specifically for the developmental stage of the children using the space, not a scaled down primary school layout.
Commercial sites
A commercial playspace needs to handle constant, unsupervised use with minimal downtime for repairs, while still reflecting the standard of the site around it. Creo builds equipment and surfacing rated for exactly that kind of use.
Landscape architects
A build partner who works from the plan, not over it. Creo regularly delivers equipment, surfacing and construction against a landscape architect’s design, including landmark settings such as Wellington Botanic Garden.
Playground design projects across New Zealand
These eight projects show a slice of what Creo builds, picked to represent the range of clients and sites we work with, not just the easiest ones to photograph.
Lorna Irene Playground, Kāpiti Coast
The previous playground at Lorna Irene Reserve had high edging and bark underfoot that shut out children who could not manage steps or loose ground, including a child in the neighbourhood who used a wheelchair. Creo laid a smooth, seamless surface across the site and introduced a large basket swing, a wheelchair accessible trampoline, an inclusive carousel, an accessible tower with a slide, and sensory elements including mirrors, musical walls and ground games.
Circa budget:
$390,000
Cornwall Park, Hastings
Built around the Acorn Climbing Village, a structure that was the first of its type in Australasia at the time of construction, and the whole park carries the theme it set, acorns, autumn leaves and meandering streams pulled straight from the surrounding environment. Fifty five leaves are worked into the play surface itself, turned into a spotting game for children moving through the space, and a blue river themed accessway ties a resurfaced waterplay area back into the design.
Circa budget:
$1,800,000
85 play items, over 325 children can play at one time.
Mini Mid Canterbury Mini Golf, Ashburton
This 18 hole course turns local landmarks into playable terrain, from the district council’s own river logo and the town clock tower through to the region’s dairy farms, irrigation schemes and the Rakaia Bridge, the longest road bridge in New Zealand. Holes were manufactured off site and delivered in pairs for installation, with the flat, lower holes built accessible for prams and wheelchairs before the course climbs onto three terraced levels.
Circa budget:
$500,000
An underutilised area is now a free, lively attraction for locals and visitors alike.
Christchurch Airport Playspace
Circa budget:
$235,000
A full C-17 play plane was handcrafted entirely in Creo's Oamaru workshop before making its own journey to Christchurch Airport.
Wellington Botanic Garden
A landmark scale public playspace, designed to sit naturally within an established, heritage listed setting rather than compete with it. Balancing a contemporary play experience against a protected landscape took close work with the Wellington City Council team, and the finished space now serves as a destination in its own right within the wider garden.
Circa budget:
$950,000
The design was built around bees, with sensory panels that teach children about pollination and the role bees play in keeping the garden's flora alive.
Levin East School, Levin
Levin East School’s new junior playground replaced equipment that had served the school for more than thirty years, giving around four hundred students a space built around their own heritage rather than a standard layout. Working with local iwi, Creo built the design around the Tararua Ranges, Lake Whenua and the nearby coastline, including a pātaka inspired structure, an interactive waka play feature, and themed flooring tracing eel patterns, native bird footprints and a Pasifika trail. A sensory board built for students with additional needs sits alongside a play mound representing the Tararua Ranges itself.
Circa budget:
$305,000
The playground's finishing carvings were handcrafted by the school's own caretaker, Paul Barnard, rather than an outside artist.
TKR Takitimu Playspace
Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu wanted a playspace that was more than an area for play, a cultural symbol built around the concept of “mountains to the sea.” Creo shaped the site around a central māunga, a flowing water feature for children to cool off in summer, a sandpit, and eels worked into the design to represent the local whakapapa. Every colour and detail carried the Kōhanga’s own input, right down to the school’s emblem featured in the junior play area.
Circa budget:
$430,000
Built with quality materials chosen to need little upkeep, the playspace still looks as vibrant today as the day it was finished.
St Hilda's Collegiate Playspace, Dunedin
Turned an unusable grass patch, one that sat empty through much of Dunedin’s winter, into a social hub built to work for Year 7 through to Year 13 on the same site. The design uses rubber seating and PlayShapes elements to give older students somewhere to gather and socialise, not just younger students somewhere to climb, alongside a roundabout that turned out to be the standout feature across every year group. Creo scheduled the build around the school holidays to avoid disrupting term time, working around a low concrete balcony on site without it slowing the project down.
Circa budget:
$210,000
The roundabout, usually a piece aimed at younger children, ended up just as popular with the school's Year 13 students as it was with Year 7 and 8.
Why the design of a playground matters this much
A good playspace does more than fill an empty corner of a section. Play builds gross and fine motor skills, teaches risk assessment in a controlled setting, and gives children a reason to interact, negotiate and build friendships without an adult directing every step. For many neurodivergent children and children with physical disabilities, a genuinely inclusive design is the one place at school where they get to play alongside their peers rather than beside them. None of this happens by accident. It comes from a design process that starts with how children actually use a space, not with a product catalogue.
“For many neurodivergent children and children with physical disabilities, a genuinely inclusive design is the one place at school where they get to play alongside their peers rather than beside them.”
The new playground journey
Every playground follows the same path, from first conversation to opening day, though the pace looks different depending on the project. A single piece of equipment for an early childhood centre can move from enquiry to install in a matter of weeks. A district scale council park, particularly one that needs resource consent or public consultation, can take several months before the first piece of equipment goes into the ground. Either way, the stages are the same, and we keep communication plain and direct at every one of them, so you always know what is happening next and why.
01
First contact
You tell us about your site, your budget and your community. We ask the questions that shape everything else.
02
Briefing and concept
We recommend the equipment and layout that gives you the most play value for your space and budget, and take the pressure of that decision off you.
03
Detailed design
04
Manufacture
Equipment is built and sourced, locally made wherever possible, alongside trusted international partners for specialist pieces.
05
Install
06
Handover and aftercare
Surfacing
Creo is a playground surfacing expert, engineering every surface in house and testing it to NZS 5828:2015, New Zealand’s safety standard for playground equipment and surfacing. Surfacing typically runs a third of total build cost, so it pays to get it right the first time. Our materials are chosen to perform, holding their colour under UV and standing up to years of foot traffic long after cheaper surfacing fades or cracks.
Pour'n'Play
Wet pour rubber built for high-spec playgrounds, creative designs and vibrant patterns, blended across twenty one colours.
PRICE | $225–$450/m² |
FALL HEIGHT | Up to 3m |
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS | Seamless, no joins or trip hazards |
MAINTENANCE | Very low |
WARRANTY | 5–10 years |
PermaPlay
A shock-absorbing turf system with a realistic grass look, suited to school fall zones and preschools.
PRICE | $178–$345/m² |
FALL HEIGHT | 1.3m–3m, depending on underlay |
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS | Yes |
MAINTENANCE | Low, UV resistant, non-allergenic |
WARRANTY | 5 years |
PermaTurf
High-traffic landscaping turf for driveways, pathways and areas outside the play equipment footprint.
PRICE | $105–$130/m² |
FALL HEIGHT | None, not suited to play equipment |
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS | Yes |
MAINTENANCE | Very low, no mowing, watering or mud |
WARRANTY | 5 years |
MulchSet
PRICE | $188–$430/m² |
FALL HEIGHT | Up to 3m with shockpad |
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS | Limited |
MAINTENANCE | Very low, hygienic, no decomposition |
WARRANTY | 3 years |
All four carry certification to NZS 5828:2015. Choosing between them comes down to budget, climate and how the space is used day to day, and it is one of the first things we work through once a concept design is on the table.
Shelters
A well-placed shelter changes the value of an outdoor space, keeping tamariki playing, learning and connecting through the wettest winter and the hottest summer alike, every option engineered for New Zealand conditions and delivered at a single fixed price.
Timber Shelters
A natural, warm finish that suits a school environment and brings a stronger connection to the outdoors than a standard structure. Engineered from glulam, layers of structural timber laminated under high pressure, it spans long distances without extra support columns getting in the way, outperforming standard materials on strength and versatility as well as looks.
Park Shelters
Turns an outdoor space into a destination in its own right, delivered as a complete kitset with everything needed to build it, at one fixed price.
Enclosed and Semi-Enclosed
A covered space that works every day of the year, without the cost or wait of a traditional hall. Built for PE, assemblies, productions and wet weather play.
Steel Shelters
Corrosion resistant and engineered to last, these shelters handle wind, rain and snow across large spans such as sports courts, with column heights and styling adjusted to suit the site.
PlayShapes
PlayShapes range from native icons like kiwi, tuatara and dolphin through to balance challenges such as steppers and half spheres, all sculpted from Pour’n’Play rubber to add colour to any space, from a school entranceway to a council plaza, without needing a full playground footprint. Every custom shape is a genuine chance for our in-house rubber artisans to try something new, and we always welcome a challenge that keeps their ideas fresh.
What does a playground cost
Cost is usually the first question, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a quote request as the only way to get one.
The video above walks through all three with real project numbers behind them.
$900–$1,400/m²
Equipment height
Taller equipment carries a greater fall height rating under NZS 5828, which pushes both the depth and the extent of surfacing required beneath it. A play tower rated to two metres needs meaningfully less surfacing investment than the same tower rated to three metres.
Site access and preparation
Excavation, retaining walls, drainage and removal of old equipment all add cost before a single new piece goes into the ground. A site with clear vehicle access costs less to build on than one that needs materials carried in by hand, and that gap widens further on a steep or constrained section.
Surfacing choice
Wood chip costs less to install than poured rubber, but it needs annual topping up and holds its compliance rating far less consistently over time. Poured rubber costs more upfront and less across a ten year horizon, once maintenance and replacement are counted properly rather than ignored.
Meet the team
A Creo playground passes through a lot of hands before it opens, even though you only ever deal with one. Designers shape the concept around your site and your community, working through layout, equipment selection and inclusive design from the first meeting. Project managers keep the build on schedule and on budget, coordinating everyone else so you are never the one chasing updates between suppliers. A manufacturing team builds equipment locally wherever possible, working alongside trusted international partners for specialist pieces that are not made here. An install crew delivers and builds on site, and an aftercare team is there long after the ribbon is cut, ready for the post-install inspection and any maintenance that comes after.
That structure is deliberate. It gives one project manager the authority to give you a straight answer instead of passing you between four different companies each time something needs deciding, and it is the difference between a playground that arrives on schedule and one that slips every time a supplier waits on another supplier.
START TODAY
Every playground on this page started with one conversation
Tell us about your site, and we will tell you exactly what is possible, backed by a fixed price and a single point of contact for every step that follows.
Tell Us About Your Site
FAQs
How long does a school playground take from enquiry to completion
Playground design in NZ typically runs eight to twelve weeks from first contact to handover. Larger or more complex builds, particularly those involving council consent, can take several months.
Can Creo help with grant applications or funding
We regularly work with Boards of Trustees and community groups preparing funding applications, and supply the documentation most funders ask for.
Do we need resource consent
What happens after the playground is installed
Is Creo only in New Zealand
What is the smallest project Creo will take on
Will someone visit our site before we commit to anything
Yes. A member of our team is happy to visit your site, walk the space with you and talk through what is possible, at no cost and with no obligation to proceed. It gives you a clearer picture of scope and fit before any budget conversation begins.
How is Creo different from buying equipment through a supplier and hiring a separate contractor
The main difference is coordination. Buying equipment, surfacing and installation from separate suppliers puts you in charge of managing how those pieces fit together and when each one arrives. Creo runs design, equipment, surfacing and construction through a single project manager, keeping that coordination with us rather than with you.
Can Creo work from an existing landscape architect's plan
Yes. We regularly build from a landscape architect’s design, supplying equipment, surfacing and construction against an existing plan rather than starting from a blank concept.
What ongoing maintenance does a Creo playground need
How much does a playground like this actually cost
Cost depends on site, equipment and surfacing choice, with a fully inclusive build typically running nine hundred to one thousand four hundred dollars per square metre. The cost section above and the video break down exactly why, and a site specific quote is the only way to get an exact number for your project.
What happens when a project runs into a delay
Delays are rare once a fixed timeline is set. Proactive updates mean you hear about any change to that timeline before it affects your opening date, not after.
Can Creo upgrade or extend an existing playground rather than building a new one
Yes. Extending or upgrading an existing playspace is a common project type, and the existing equipment, surfacing and layout all factor into the design from the first site visit.
What certifications does Creo's equipment and surfacing carry
Every piece of equipment and every surfacing system is certified to NZS 5828:2015, New Zealand’s playground safety standard, with documentation provided at handover for your records and any funding body requirements.
Certified to the standards that matter
Every project runs on the same certifications and safety standards, whatever the size of the build. These are the credentials Creo holds as a company, not just claims made in a proposal.
