PLAY
AN NSC26 STREAM

Play - shaping healthier, more inclusive, and more connected communities.

Our successful politicians, scientists, engineers and sport people learned how to excel in their world when they were children playing. Building play as a core platform for the success of our next generation of leaders starts with our children, now.

“Play” focuses on the essential role of play in building active, healthy, and connected communities. From innovative playspaces and nature-based environments to inclusive design and creative programming, this stream showcases how play can inspire participation, foster social connection, and support lifelong physical activity.

As cities, schools, and communities embrace the value of play beyond childhood, we see its power to improve wellbeing, encourage creativity, and strengthen neighbourhood bonds. This stream offers a mix of thought-provoking keynotes, expert panels, interactive workshops, and inspiring case studies — equipping leaders, planners, educators, and practitioners with ideas and strategies to embed play into every stage of life.

The Play Stream is returning to NSC after a breakout year with their standalone Asia Pacific Play Conference. A highlight of the sessions from the 2025 conference and 2024 NSC Play Stream are included below:

2025 Conference

Provocateur Sessions:

David Engwicht explored “Why is play, not heard work, the key to creating a better world?”

Hitoshi Shimamura took the delegates through an interactive mapping session, looking at how they played as children and harnessing that for future generations.

Workshop Sessions:

The Urban Planning and Design track looked into planning child-friendly cities with Dr Sudeshna Chatterjee (India), how New Zealand developed a National Play System (Mark Curr, Sport New Zealand), and city planning and how it impacts play spaces with Dr Damien Puddle (New Zealand).

The Education and The Arts Track heard from Assoc Prof Brendon Hyndman on school based play, why we should listen to children as Play Experts (Uno Lin, Taiwan), and reclaiming primordial play with Prof Hiroyuki Kasama.

The third track, Health and Wellbeing delved into ensuring inclusion and not marginalisation with Preeti Prada Panigrahi (India), as well as risky play – Assoc Prof Rachel Jones gave insights on how much risk is too much risk, and Dr Jill Sewell looked at the dangers of ‘keeping it safe’.

2024 NSC Stream

Keynote session:

Facilitated by Robyn Monro Miller (Play Australia CEO), the stream began with a discussion on the merits of children’s play in school and within sports environments considering the importance of physical literacy on their confidence, resilience and educational impacts.

Keynote panel:

Following the session, a panel of play experts further discussed the implications of needing a joint agenda between schools and sport to ensure participation.

Workshop: Planning and promoting energetic play and engagement in early years

Play lays the foundation for our future lives, as a key factor in a child’s development. Energetic play can set children up to be more physically active in their early lives, promoting a healthy lifestyle which will last throughout their lives.

Chair: Mark Chatman, Victorian Sales Manager, KOMPAN Australia.

Speakers:

Debate Session: Risky play vs safer environments

In creating play areas to encourage risky play, build resilience, and create fun and adventure, are local governments exposed to undue risk of liability?

Chair: Carly Goodrich, Vice President, Play Australia.

Speakers:

Workshop Session: Play as an evolving process

As play evolves, we need to focus on the future and what can we expect over the next half decade. This session heard perspectives on global thinking on programs and interventions, the future of innovation in playgrounds, and how a joined up agenda for policy can make the biggest difference on play and children.

Chair: Carly Goodrich, Vice President, Play Australia.

Speakers: