Children 16 and under won't have to pay to swim at any Auckland Council pools after a decision at today's Strategy and Finance Committee meeting.
Pools are already free for all ages in six Manukau City pools but those pools will now be brought into line with the new Auckland-wide policy.
The decision comes after months of discussion between councillors, Local Boards and input from the community - there were more than 1500 submissions on the subject - as the council moves to formulate a single policy across Auckland.
"From day one this debate has been bitter-sweet," says Auckland mayor Len Brown. "Sweet because we are doing something amazing for all of Auckland's kids, and bitter because for Manukau this is the one thing they feared the most from amalgamation."
The original proposal put forward by the mayor was free access for people of all ages as is the case in the six former Manukau City pools. That proposal would have cost ratepayers another $5 million and was supported by only 15% of those who submitted to the draft Long-Term Plan.
Mr Brown said getting approval for the free scheme for 16s and under was his "very best fall-back position".
That option actually reduces cost to ratepayers by $450,000 presumably due to the offset created by adults in Manukau now having to pay.
The total estimated operational cost for all 24 pools across all of Auckland is $10.1 million and $6m of that is for the Manukau facilities. The six Manukau pools are run by council staff, along with five in the north and west. 13 other pools in central, Papakura and Franklin are contracted to private operators to run.
During the debate at today's meeting the mayor also raised the importance of learn to swim programmes and his desire to bring free swimming lessons to all council pools.
"We know only too well, following yet another tragedy this week, that teaching our kids to swim should be as important as teaching them to ride a bike," he said.
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