Core boards walk the talk at Kowhai Park
Published on 27 February 2024
A new community resource has been installed at Whanganui’s Kowhai Park to help people with verbal communication and encourage active and inclusive participation in play.
Core communication boards – known as core boards – are large signs with pictorial images and words that provide visual communication for people of all ages who have trouble with speech or language skills. They help people to make requests and share how they’re feeling.
The installation of core boards in parks and play spaces is a relatively new initiative by the TalkLink Trust to increase non-verbal communication throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Whanganui resident Kori Mako and Lorraine Russell, head teacher at Central Kindergarten - Keith Street, made the suggestion to install core boards at Kowhai Park to Mayor Andrew Tripe.
Mayor Andrew says, “I was initially approached by Kori with the idea to install core boards in Kowhai Park so that she and her son could better communicate while they played at the park.
“Core boards are a great initiative to make members of our non-verbal community feel acknowledged and valued in our public spaces, and they fit perfectly with ongoing Whanganui District Council funding for greater accessibility at our playgrounds and parks,” he says.
“On behalf of our community, I thank the TalkLink Trust for their advocacy and the creative vision that’s led to the installation of these valuable augmented communication signs.”
The core boards – one in te reo Māori, the other in English – have been installed along the pathway within the park’s playground. The boards feature illustrations of playground rides to point to such as a tārere-swing, retireti-slide and tīemiemi-seesaw, alongside symbols and terms for activities and actions like reri-ready, huri-turn, inu-drink and kai-eat, as well as tauanga (numbers) and symbols for āna / kāore (yes / no).
People can point to the illustrations and symbols to convey what activity they’d like to do, and the words can then be spoken by others to emphasise the activity or action.
Another core board is planned for Lorenzdale Park in Gonville as part of an upgrade to this park. The core boards have been funded and installed by Whanganui District Council.
For more information about the TalkLink Trust, please click here.
Image: Whanganui kaumatua John Maihi and tamariki at the launch of the core boards at Kowhai Park on Tuesday, 27 February