Pools at the Porirua Aquatic Centre will be closed until after a tapu-lifting ceremony following the death of a boy who was found unconscious in a spa pool.
%The 4-year-old boy was pulled from the pool on Friday and died in Wellington Hospital the following afternoon. %He has not yet been publicly named.
The boy's mother and aunt momentarily lost sight of him before he was found in the spa about 4.30 pm.
Emergency crews and lifeguards managed to resuscitate the boy before he was taken to the hospital.
Police investigating the incident interviewed witnesses yesterday.
A Porirua City Council spokesman said two spa pools and a toddler pool would be closed until the tapu-lifting ceremony tomorrow morning.
Porirua Mayor Jenny Brash expressed sympathy for the boy's family, and council chief executive Roger Blakeley said staff at the complex were upset at the death.
Dr Blakeley said the centre had earned an excellent safety record since it opened four years ago.
In November, it became one of the first public swimming facilities to gain national Poolsafe accreditation.
- NZPA
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