Local government Play Advocates work to challenge this risk-averse culture by advocating for balanced approaches that keep the benefits of risky play while managing genuine hazards. Instead of defaulting to "no" because something might appear risky, we ask "How can we make this work?" This approach breaks down barriers rather than erect them, supporting children to develop their own risk assessment skills and resilience through play experiences. This approach is the opposite of overly protective policies that seek to eliminate all risk.

In New Zealand the government has recently urged councils to prioritise "must-haves" over "nice-to-haves," in a bid to reduce the cost of living and improve efficiency. While fiscal responsibility is always important, this approach risks misclassifying certain essential elements of local government work—like play—as optional luxuries.

Last week was the deadline for feedback on New Zealand's work health and safety regulatory system and while it was rushed and feels messy, I thought it might be interesting to share my submission with you.

Benefit-risk assessment (BRA) is the practice of including the benefits of an activity (whether it's for a product, facility/infrastructure, or activity delivery) as part of the health and safety (H&S) / risk management (RM) documentation and decision-making process. This is crucial for the play, active recreation, and sport sector in New Zealand.