Quality breaktimes can help create fairness, build connections and support the holistic development of ākonga. From barefoot learners in Paekākāriki to trampolines at Te Aute College, schools across Aotearoa are reframing breaktimes by giving ākonga the freedom to lead their own play.

Ākonga at Paekākāriki School enjoy a play environment which gives them autonomy and confidence.

Ākonga at Paekākāriki School enjoy a play environment which gives them autonomy and confidence.
Play is a vital space for young people to explore, connect and grow. It’s where they experience joy, test boundaries and build life skills.

Prioritising quality breaktimes can really make a difference. These moments give students a chance to reset, build friendships and come back to class more focused and ready to learn.

Supporting play means more than providing equipment. It’s about seeing play as something ākonga lead themselves, that naturally comes and goes. It means offering different ways to play, especially within the school spaces, and thinking carefully about how adults fit in.

Powering up play at Paekākāriki School

Tamariki at Paekākāriki School on the Kāpiti Coast near Wellington are becoming more confident and independent at school, thanks to an initiative empowering teachers to create play-friendly environments.

School staff have been part of a programme that supports them to better understand and embrace their role during breaktimes. Known as ‘The Home of the Barefoot Learner’, play is already a big part of the school’s philosophy, says deputy principal Judith Smith.

But the PARS Playwork UK-based qualification that Sport NZ and Nuku Ora have introduced at Paekākāriki School has taken that to a whole new level.

The play waka at Paekākāriki School.

Designed to reshape breaktimes by empowering staff to embrace their role in play, they’ve learned how and when to intervene, giving tamariki autonomy and confidence to try new things.

“It’s been a good journey in terms of taking that step back,” says deputy principal Rachel McMullen.

“Risky play especially, that’s where I’ve made some shifts with how I address things, or how early I might intervene to give ākonga autonomy and make that space where they can be confident enough to try something new.”

Because there are different levels of risk takers, Nuku Ora’s Healthy Active Learning facilitator Tania Bartley says the process has had its challenges.

Ākonga at Paekākāriki School during breaktime.

“It’s about learning what you should do when you’re observing children, how to feed back about what you’re observing, when you should jump in as an adult. It’s about getting the staff on board and speaking the same language, so having a guideline as a way they can all contribute and know what their role is, really helped.”
Caretaker Simon James has seen the shift in play during breaktimes.

“They’re allowed to explore ... They climb trees, they play with stuff we put out, and they tend to use their brains a bit more.”

The journey involved input from students and the community. A student group worked alongside the local Menzshed to design a new play box – named the play waka. With Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa funding through Nuku Ora, the play waka is now filled with play equipment.

“When we get the play waka out it gets used quite a lot because we all really like it,” says one student, Angus.

The vision of Sport NZ senior regional play consultant Ellie Davidson is for all schools to understand and value the importance of play times.

“They’re with their friends ... they’ve got the ability to do what they want, to relax, to engage ... and for adults and schools to understand what their role is in terms of valuing play, that can really impact the classroom and beyond.”

Redefining physical activity at Te Aute College

Trampolines have become a breakout hit at Te Aute College in Central Hawke’s Bay. Since being installed earlier this year, students have had to set up their own rules to manage the demand at breaktimes.

Ākonga enjoy a new gym for working out at Te Aute College.

The school is one of 50 secondary schools and wharekura across Aotearoa involved in Active As, a Sport NZ-funded programme that puts rangatahi in the driver’s seat to decide how physical activity happens at their school.

Two years into Active As, one messages is clear: students don’t want play to stop at primary school.
Across the motu, rangatahi are opting for play sheds, Giant Jenga and oversized chess sets. At Haeata Community Campus in Canterbury, a newly installed swing set is encouraging new connections between the satellite and mainstream units.

At Te Aute, as well as trampolines, there is a new gym for working out, four table tennis tables in the wharekai where students and teachers play each other, and a growing interest in netball, going from two teams in 2024 to six in 2025.

Te Aute College went from zero to six netball teams in two years – all by listening to students who wanted to play.

Jamie, a Year 13 student and part of Te Aute College’s Active As leadership group, says students are now more active because they have choices that reflect what they want to do.

“Having your own sense of will and knowing what you want to do and being able to do that, it’s just a good way to express ourselves,” he says.

He’s seen some huge shifts at his school since he was a junior.

“When I was Year 9 … if you didn’t play rugby, or you didn’t play a certain sport, you didn’t have to really do much physical activity at all. Now everyone gets up and gets moving.”

The shift isn’t just happening during breaktimes, it’s showing up in the classroom too. In 2024, Te Aute College reported a 100 percent pass rate for Years 11–13, with a record number of merit and excellence endorsements.

Jamie says Active As has played a crucial role in that, because being physically active allows a release from the pressures of school.

Planning to study tourism next year, Jamie says his experience at Te Aute College has reinforced just how important physical activity is to his overall wellbeing.

“I love being active. It just helps me ease my mind through tough times,” he says.

Sport NZ’s Active bodies, active minds supports this. Research shows increased time allocated to physical activity, whether through brain breaks or free play at breaktime, can positively impact engagement and success at school. 

Students say the increased options for physical activity at Te Aute, including netball, is leading to stronger relationships across year levels and academic success in the classroom.

Top tips to improve play at school and kura

Develop a play policy: Create a strategic approach to play grounded in pedagogy and human rights. A clear policy embeds play into school culture.

Review playtime rules: Document current rules. Refresh them with input from ākonga – what they enjoy, what feels fair and what could improve.

Observe breaktimes: Spend time outside. Notice where ākonga play, what they do and who they’re with. Use these insights to shape inclusive environments.

Unlock the PE shed: Offer varied resources already on hand. Simple items can spark creativity and movement across age groups.

Play first, eat later: Try reversing lunch routines. Playing before eating can reduce conflict, improve focus and support learning.

Activate ‘desert spaces’: Transform underused areas with a trolley or box of play gear. Small changes can create vibrant zones of activity.

Offer variety: Provide diverse, low-cost resources: swing ball, chalk, dress-ups, blocks, poi, hula hoops, giant games. Refresh the environment with ribbons, tyres, pots and pans, music or chalk art. Small surprises spark imagination.

Introduce wheels day: Allow scooters and bikes one day a week to encourage movement, independence and excitement.

Celebrate cultural play: Invite ākonga and whānau to share traditional games to honour identity and build connection.

Join the fun: Dedicate one day a term for teachers to play too. This strengthens relationships and models wellbeing.

This article was first published in the Education Gazette | Tukutuku Kōrero, 13 October 2025