At the recent Waves conference, a strong theme emerged around the status and sustainability of school pools and the role they play in the broader Aquatics sector.

In many cases Council and contractor staff are currently assisting some school pools to continue operating their pools in summer, some are volunteering. The knowledge of school principals, school boards of trustees and communities to efficiently and effectively operate their pool for summer seasons is questionable and varied. There is confusion around funding sources to keep school pools operating and whether the overall responsibility for the school pools sits with the Boards of Trustees or the MOE. This is especially when it comes to Health and Safety.

In the coming months, NZRA will be working with WaterSafety, Sport NZ, the Ministry of Education and other agencies to drill down on this kaleidoscope of issues and understand the problem. We will be engaging with you, the industry professionals, to develop potential solutions.

If you have any initial thoughts that you would like to contribute, please do not hesitate to contact NZRA Advocacy Manager Sam Newton on sam@nzrecreation.org.nz with the subject line “Project Tadpole”.