One of the themes that came out of the door knocking in the early days of the Great Start initiative in Taita was the strong desire for a park. However, people weren't talking to each other about the idea, there was little sense that it was possible and there was no clear idea of how to go about making it happen.

Through lots of conversations, and a level of perseverance, Great Start was able to connect the dots and grow the energy for getting things moving. The upshot was that a group of children, together with their parents, were given the opportunity to present their ideas at a Hutt City Council meeting.

The children's creativity, vision and openness broke down the formality of the process and led to significant generosity from the Council, both in terms of financial support and, just as importantly, the time, energy and enthusiasm to walk alongside the community to make a park happen – a joint venture was born.