13/05/2026
The document is such a vital tool for parks planners. The way parks are categorised ultimately influences how they are valued, invested in, maintained, and understood by communities. These categorisation systems help guide levels of service, planning priorities, operational expectations, and long-term decision making across our open spaces.
During the workshop delegates shared ideas on the current uses, strengths, risks, and gaps in the framework. The discussion also brought together perspectives from planning, operations, asset management, and policy, helping explore how the tool can better reflect the changing needs of communities and public open space across Aotearoa.
If you use this rubric every day let us know, how could it be developed further to help cover these gaps? What makes it important or perhaps unimportant to you in your work?
If you haven’t used the Parks Categories Framework before, it’s available through the Recreation Aotearoa membership portal under the documents tab.
Now is the chance to shape a framework that better reflects the future of parks planning in Aotearoa.
