NGAKAWAU COMMUNITY SWIMMING POOL

6 River Road, Hector

A fantastic facility recently upgraded and open during the summer months.  Season tickets available.

a better off funding project

restoring our pool

The Ngakawau baths were built with funding from the Buller Mining Districts Community Centres Society and opened in the 1960’s. 

A long awaited upgrade to the 60+year-old Ngakawau Swimming Pool was completed in December 2024 with a reopening ceremony that month attended by over 70 people.  The pool upgrade was funded through “Better Off Funding” provided via the Buller District Council which was applied for in April 2023, receiving $310,000.

Better off Funding was part of the Three Waters Reform process for which the then Government set aside $2 billion (nationwide) for councils to use to improve amenity and outcomes for residents. Pool volunteers, Glen & Marie Standing say the project’s key contractors Coombes Aquatics were excellent to work with and completed the job professionally, on time, and below budget. “This meant we had the additional funds we needed to do some additional maintenance on the buildings, re-roof the pump shed, replace the fencing and repaint the facility and we are very grateful to Coombes for their support”. 

Coombes workers started the project by commissioning a robust health and safety assessment as well as an assessment of the existing pool and the work required to prepare its old concrete base fora new PVC membrane. They replaced pipework and concrete around the pool edge, installed new water circulation pumps and pipework within the plant room, and relined both the main pool and the toddler pool with new membranes, before filling the pool in November. Chemical balancing and operator training will be done before the reopening but the new equipment means a “lot less time” will need to be spent by volunteers getting pool conditions right. A fantastic project and a great result.