Swimming pool strategy

Summary of issues

There are 101 swimming pools in Auckland. Auckland City provides or supports 10 swimming pools and recognises a further three in the city�s network of swimming pools - see Appendix one.

Attendance and awareness

Attendance at Auckland�s swimming pools has increased since 1996 with over two million visits in the last year. Only 25 per cent of Aucklanders have visited a pool over the last year; this percentage has declined since the last survey in 1996. However, those who visit pools do so frequently. The level of awareness of swimming pools is high with 84 per cent of Aucklanders aware of at least one swimming pool.

The biggest barrier for participation is lack of knowledge of what is on offer or available at swimming pools and at what price.

Importance of swimming pools

Users think swimming pools are very important and perceive them as a basic community amenity rather than a luxury. Swimming pool facilities contribute to Auckland�s sense of place, as a city that is surrounded by water and with residents that participate in numerous aquatic activities.

Swimming pools also create their own community, where people interact and meet on a regular basis. Users identified the location of swimming pools as the key factor in choosing which pool to visit, being close to either home or work. Users identified that swimming pools should provide for people wishing to undertake activities on a regular basis such as learning to swim, lap swimming and water exercise.

Social and leisure trends

Social changes are affecting the use of pools. There has been an overall decrease in leisure time, and changing family structures affect when people have leisure time and what they want to do during it. In Auckland, the presence of children in a household significantly affects the use, variety and frequency of visits to swimming pools. There is also a growing awareness of the health benefits associated with undertaking physical activity. There is increasing demand for swimming pools that will cater for the whole family and people would prefer more casual and uncommitted use of pools.

Demand and supply

Research shows that there is an under supply of water-space and gaps in pool provision in the Avondale and Otahuhu areas. The central and western areas of the city have relatively less water space than other areas. An analysis of supply and demand shows that some sectors of the community are not using local swimming pools, for example Glen Innes community is not using Glen Innes pool.

Population projections forecast an additional 100,000 people living in the city by 2021. If this growth continues, the population could almost double by 2050 with an estimated 575,000 people living in Auckland city. Growth will be intensified within strategic growth management areas, along major traffic corridors. Most pools are located within these growth areas, which will probably result in increased use and demand. Auckland is also becoming more ethnically diverse, which will impact on the types of activities undertaken at swimming pools.

Patterns of use

Swimming pools suffer from peaks and troughs of use, with peak times in the early morning and between 4pm and 7pm. Downtime is between 9am and 3pm. At peak times the demand for water sports training, public access, programmes and casual water space is very difficult to balance, whereas at non-peak times there are large amounts of water space not fully utilised.

Water sports needs

Participants in water sports such as swimming, waterpolo and underwater hockey have said that access to affordable water space during peak times is a major constraint for their training. Waterpolo is the main sport experiencing large growth and the Waterpolo Association has identified the need for additional facilities in the south and central areas of the city.

Swimming clubs have concerns over the interface between learn-to-swim programmes and club training, and are finding it difficult to provide sufficient training and teaching opportunities. Competitive swimming clubs and associations would like an international competition pool within Auckland city but the priority is more training space and maintaining the current national competition venues. It is recognised that Auckland city has limited venues for regional competitions that provide spectator seating, parking, media and administration facilities.

Special needs

There is growing use of swimming pools by people with special needs, which means facilities need appropriate amenities to accommodate them, for example, ramped access to facilities and pools, hoist access to pools, warmer water, appropriate changing-room facilities and communications.

Water skills and education

Drowning is the third highest cause of unintentional death in New Zealand and although the number of drownings has decreased over the past 15 years, New Zealand still has a high proportion of drownings per head of population. More resources are required for water safety education and developing water and swimming skills for both children and adults.

School pools

Several schools in Auckland would like to develop better swimming facilities on school sites. There are concerns about whether schools have the resources and skills to manage the water treatment and life-guarding, and the funding to operate and maintain the facilities. New pool developments need to be carefully managed to ensure water space is fully utilised.

Pool costs

The cost of operating, maintaining and developing swimming pools continues to increase with greater water and chemical costs, more stringent operating standards and greater user expectations of the quality and diversity of facilities. Water is the one of major increases with the cost rising by 124 per cent over the past five years.

Regional facilities and developments

Regionally, the Waitakere Aquatic Centre is the main Auckland venue for national competitions for swimming, diving, waterpolo and other water sports. This facility is being redeveloped to provide aquatic entertainment and will increase seating and improve sport amenities. A new elite training and performance centre has been developed on the North Shore, which caters for some specialist water sports needs in the Auckland region. In addition, four new swimming pool developments are being planned by Manukau city over the next 10 years, focused on local community use.

Published September 2002