Coroner on attack over pool death

Aranui Rawiri

The Waikato District Council has been asked to review its lease agreement with the owners of Waingaro Hot Springs, near Ngaruawahia, after a 3-year-old boy drowned because of poor safety standards.

Huntly coroner Bob McDermott released his findings after an inquest into the death of Aranui Rawiri at the pools on November 13, 2002.

Mr McDermott appeared to agree with a submission from the boy's aunt, Te Puna Moanaroa, in which she said the swimming pool operators had failed to provide a safe swimming facility to its customers.

The business is owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Chood and Amro Singh.

At last month's court hearing Ms Moanaroa also pointed out that the council, as lessor of the facility, had failed in its obligation to ensure the pools were operated within legal parameters.

In his finding, Mr McDermott recommended that the council undertake a review of its lease agreement with Mr and Mrs Singh. The coroner urged that the review include a requirement for the Waingaro Hot Springs to attain and maintain an industry-standard "ACC Poolsafe Accreditation".

The pool operators were asked to meet the poolsafe criteria within the next three months. Owner Chood Singh yesterday would not commit to agreeing or declining to meet the poolsafe criteria by January.

He said he had not seen the coroner's findings and would make no comment until he had.

The inquest findings went further.

Mr McDermott said the Government should give "urgent attention" to passing legislation that would force all public pools in New Zealand to belong to the "poolsafe regime".

The standard is a voluntary one, but its safety thresholds are being reached by 137 of the 171 public swimming pools nationwide.

The coroner also criticised Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and the police.

OSH's long delays in compiling a report meant nothing of substance was received to help with the inquest until last October, nearly three years after the boy's death.

When the report did come, it made no recommendations, apart from a finding that "guidelines" were not being adhered to.

Mr McDermott was also unhappy with a statement in the report that referred to previous complaints about the pool. Although no prosecution action had resulted, "other enforcement action" had.

The coroner received no evidence of what the "other action" was.

"Not being satisfied with the OSH report, I asked the police to obtain a report from Water Safety New Zealand," he said.

"As a result of my insistence the report was authorised to be paid for out of police funds. I find it deplorable that there was resistance to use police funding for a most important matter and which, in the end, has proved most necessary." The cost of the report was quoted at $1500.

Mr McDermott said he had told police that delays in investigating Aranui's death were "unacceptable".

Police spokeswoman Kris McGehan said police accepted criticism over the delays. The officer assigned to the case went on long-term sick leave and the file was not passed on.