Community outrage at Wellington City Council proposal to close Khandallah Pool

Teenager Alfie Picker feels lied to by the Wellington City Council over a proposal to close the local pool he and his mates love visiting in the summer.

His mum wonders what a planned 18 per cent rates hike is paying for if not “bread and butter” community facilities like Khandallah Pool.

The outdoor unheated pool is almost 100 years old and is treasured by residents; however, it requires an upgrade.

The council proposes closing it rather than spending $11.7 million to rebuild it.

Picker, 14, successfully wrote to previous Wellington Mayor Andy Foster urging him to keep the pool open when the council last considered closing it only two years ago.

In early 2022, the council issued a press release titled “Khandallah Pool’s future secured”, announcing the decision to rebuild the pool for $8.05m.

Alfie Picker, 14, and his brother Henry, 11, at Khandallah Pool where residents have placed signs asking the council to save their pool. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Now, the pool is back on the chopping block after the cost to rebuild it increased by more than $3m.

“I feel kind of lied to, to be honest”, Picker said.

“I thought we were going to have many more years of fun here ... despite what many of the locals have been telling them, they don’t seem to be changing their decision, so I feel very unheard.”

Picker’s brother, Henry, 11, also has a message for the council: “All of us love this pool, we love coming here in the summer, you had it when you were children, so why can’t we?”

Council making cuts to pay for pipes

The pool’s future is part of a budget crunch as the council moves to spend more money on water infrastructure, increasing its capital spending on pipes to $1.2 billion in its long-term plan.

The council had previously considered cost savings such as reducing library and swimming pool opening hours, but Mayor Tory Whanau quickly backtracked on the proposal after an outcry from residents.

“Libraries and swimming pools are part of the fabric of our communities. I know how much they mean to people,” Whanau said at the time.

Khandallah Pool, described by one resident as an essential community facility, was not included in the mayor’s change of heart.

The plan to close it comes as residents nationwide scrutinise what their councils are spending money on amid record rates hikes.

In Wellington, ratepayers are facing an 18 per cent increase that includes a levy to build a new sludge facility.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has said he expects councils to prioritise the essential services ratepayers expect and critical infrastructure over nice-to-haves.

Community in ‘complete shock’

Council officials say natural hazards, including slip and flood risks, combined with earthquake-prone buildings, ageing asbestos pipes, and a leaking tank mean maintaining the Khandallah Pool or replacing it like for like are not options.

The cost of closing it, landscaping, and improving flood mitigation from a nearby stream is $4.5m plus annual operating costs of $340,000.

John McGrath has lived in Khandallah for 20 years and his children loved swimming at the pool growing up.

Khandallah Pool is almost 100 years old and needs upgrading. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The proposal to close it had come as a complete shock to the community, McGrath said.

He recognised the council was under financial pressure, but said the community wanted only minor upgrades to protect the pool’s future, not a “flash” rebuild.

“We understand the council has big infrastructure pressing needs, but you don’t pay for billion-dollar water assets ... by stripping communities of single-digit million-dollar facilities.

“This is posturing by the council making little minor decisions on the edges of the fundamental decisions they need to make to be able to actually fund water and transport infrastructure.”

McGrath argued the earthquake-prone buildings were not a reason to shut the pool, considering the deadlines to strengthen them expired in 2034.

Flooding from the nearby stream was a problem that would need to be dealt with regardless of the pool and it was disingenuous to include hazard mitigation in the total cost, he said.

McGrath said the pool didn’t need to be shut down so quickly and urged councillors to work with the community on a “halfway house” solution.

“For the council to shut a much-loved community facility in the face of such community support in its centenary year, that takes some special decision-making by the council.”

Mayor meets with Save Khandallah Pool group

Council chief operating officer James Roberts said work to fix any of the pool’s problems was significant and would trigger the need for building consent.

“Section 71 of the Building Act requires adequate provision to protect the land and facility from the natural hazards before a building consent could be obtained.

“Expert architects and engineers have identified the need to widen the stream and lift the height of the concourse in order to provide the required protection.

“The flood mitigation works are a core requirement of any project to build a new facility, which is why they are included as part of the estimated project costs.”

A banner at a roundabout near the pool asks the council to save the facility. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau said the council’s focus was having a decent pool network for Wellington.

Keith Spry Pool in Johnsonville was 3km from central Khandallah and Thorndon Pool was 6.2km away, she said.

Khandallah Pool attendance had been declining since 2009, and it was the least-used facility of all the summer pools in the region, Whanau said.

“Council has and will always continue to provide a range of facilities and services for residents. But it is important to remember this long-term plan has been put together in an extremely challenging environment and has involved some extremely tough decisions.”

Whanau said she was engaging with the Save Khandallah Pool Group and met with members last week to discuss whether there was a cheaper alternative.

Councillors will decide on the pool at the end of this month.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.