Lessons #1 in pools research
People are prepared to travel across the city to use swimming pools and a substantial majority believe teaching children to swim is the most important activity city pools should be providing, according to surveys done recently for the Council.
The Opinions Market Research poll was of a random representative sample of 400 people. It, and another survey by Council staff of city school principals, is part of work to develop the citywide Aquatic Facilities Strategy. A report on that project, including proposals for public consultation, is due before the City Council in September.
As well as considering the future of existing pools, the strategy aims to help elected members decide what type of new swimming and associated leisure facilities are needed around the city and where they should best be sited.
John Filsell, the Council Recreation Facilities Manager, says the Opinions survey results suggest people are prepared to travel quite big distances if the facility has what they need.
“Partly, what I’m taking from this research is that we shouldn’t look pools as just local facilities for the immediately surrounding suburbs,” he says. “If, like QEII, they’re built alongside a good transport network and provide the types of acilities people want, then they’re happy to travel some distance to use them.”
A third of people said they would travel up to 10km to a pool complex if it provided the facilities they were after.
“That figure’s quite significant,” Mr Filsell says. “It suggests we need to consider what we’re building as much as where it’s to be put.”
The leisure pool and associated facilities at QEII Park is the city’s most popular swimming destination, the survey says, with 36% of those who said they use Council pools. Pioneer (18%), Jellie Park (14%) and Centennial (10%) were the next three most popular.
Asked what they’d like to see that’s not available now, many people asked for waterslides (A new series of waterslides is being constructed now at QEII).
The staff survey of schools aimed to fill information gaps. More than 100 schools returned the questionnaire. Like the public survey, school principals put a high priority on ensuring children were competent, confident and safe swimmers.
The survey found that while more than 90% of schools offer swimming programmes, about 30 schools have permanently closed their pools, about 20 of them since 2000. Even so, the numbers using City Council facilities was low and very few had swim programmes running during the winter.
“Schools are saying they most want warm, indoor, shallow teaching pools and the suggestion is they’d use them if the city provided them,” Mr Filsell says. “There’s also demand for deep water for things like survival/rescue training and water polo and underwater hockey and so the older kids can safely dive and bomb.”
- Anyone wanting to register an interest in pool development should email aquatic@ccc.govt.nz or call Project Assistant Jo Forward on 941 8999
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