37,000. That’s the approximate number of people living with a disability in Tauranga.

To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers invited our new Councillors to a friendly, but fierce, game of wheelchair rugby.

Former All Black “Herb” Schuler says he has massive respect for the players after getting schooled in playing wheelchair rugby.

“It’s a really incredible thing to experience firsthand, just to understand the challenges people face day to day and therefore what we can do as a city and a council to make it easier for people to get around”.

Welcome Bay Ward Councillor Hautapu Baker agrees saying “It’s really good for us to get amongst the community, do things with them and have a bit of fun”.

Parafed Bay of Plenty Deputy Chair Amanda Lowry's smile says it all.

“Being in a chair and playing wheelchair rugby is just freedom, when you don’t have a lot of function this is like an absolute gamechanger, and you find your community when you come into spaces like this.”

“I feel really grateful for accessible sporting venues - that is what changes disabled people’s lives,” says Amanda.

Council’s work to create a more accessible city includes the recent launch of the Tauranga Access Map, an online accessibility app with information about accessible amenities at our parks, playgrounds, council facilities and public events. It also shows the nearest mobility park to your location, beach mats for beach visits in summer.

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