Ākau Tangi Sports Centre staff design new custom-built inflatables

After six years at Wellington City Council with five of those years being at Ākau Tangi Sports Centre across a range of roles, Shanae Mullooly knows the facility like the back of her hand. 

Her first role was in customer service and operations, which meant she was clued up on how everything worked within the facility, from the set up to what customers needed.

This knowledge of Ākau Tangi Sports Centre operations and a background in design made her the perfect person to do the job, and she was asked to take on the design process alongside her colleague Dylan Edwards who was in charge of the programme that used the inflatables at the time.

The inflatables were always a favourite at the facility and had suffered from wear and tear over the past decade, after being used for a range of programmes such as preschool classes and the holiday programme. 

The old inflatables were getting worn out and the team were cautious of health and safety risks for the tamariki that used them. They needed to urgently fix or replace them, says Shanae. 

“There are only two companies that specialise in large inflatables and the repair person actually left the place we used, so we couldn’t get them fixed. The team decided to design custom inflatables with a new company instead.”

To kick off the design process, Shanae and Dylan created a mood board of their dream inflatables. As it was their first time going through a process like this, Shanae says their initial sketches were ambitious and they needed to rein it in!

“We just let our imaginations run wild but then had to go through them and see what would be realistic with the size of the courts.

“We needed to get every other little detail down pat. From my previous role in operations, I knew I had to think of where the floor inserts and power were, and which way the inflatables would need to face. It was tricky to marry the two ideas of creating something fun but practical.”

After weeks of going back and forth, they came up with two designs, the ‘Gauntlet,’ for older kids based on an obstacle course featuring wipeout balls, and the ‘Slide ‘n’ Shoot’ with a large slide and fun elements suitable for younger kids.

“We had to think like a five-year-old child and put ourselves in their shoes. Based on experience working with kids on the programmes we knew they loved to challenge each other, so two people had to be able to race each other through the Gauntlet. Within the big inflatable we added two tunnels, things to climb over, wipeout balls, a climbing wall and a massive slide.

“Of course, we thought of safety elements too, like adding in mesh panels for staff monitoring the inflatables to see the tamariki and creating safety nets where necessary.”

Now that Shanae has left her role at Ākau Tangi Sports Centre for another business unit at the Council, she feels incredibly proud of her and Dylan's legacy at the facility after the new inflatables have become a hit with the kids.

“It’s crazy to see our initial sketches and how they turned into these huge inflatables. We began the process in 2023 and over a year later they were finally finished in 2024. We were stoked to be able to make something special that is unique for Ākau Tangi Sports Centre, but also to have been given this opportunity as a staff member and to be trusted to deliver on something the kids would use.

“It’s such a full circle moment to see something I whimsically drew being used and loved by kids.”

Ākau Tangi Sports Centre Manager Mornay Loubser is happy to see how the inflatables have been used so far.

“The two inflatables that Shanae and Dylan designed for us have been very popular and get used multiple times per week. The staff-led design process was a huge success, and we are thrilled with the final product.”