Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says he's "annoyed" over the cost of a proposed toilet block. Photo / David Hall
Tauranga councillors have backed major sports facility upgrades but said the projected costs were too high, asking staff for tighter cost control.
A $350,000 estimate for a four-toilet block was one example challenged in Tuesday’s Tauranga City Council meeting.
It comes as demand for sports facilities in the fast-growing city surges, with indoor courts already above 90% capacity and Blake Park and Baywave overstretched.
A staff report for the meeting said some new facilities could be delivered for much less than planned in 2024.
The combined cost of the Memorial Park Aquatic Centre and a “national-scale courts and events hub” at Baypark could drop from $190 million to $158m, after doubling funding from partners and development contributions to $67m.
Funding for a new badminton centre was also discussed.
Councillors agreed to progress work on the projects, but questioned the accuracy of some cost estimates and gaps in financial information, calling for closer scrutiny before signing off final budgets.
The biggest project under consideration was a major new aquatic centre at Memorial Park.
The original proposal carried a $124m price tag, including hydro slides, a splash pad, a toddler pool and expanded indoor and outdoor swimming lanes.
Councillors decided in 2024 to consider scaled-back options costing between $80m and $105m.
The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting estimated the cost at $81m over four years.
The revised concept focused on core services, including lane swimming, aquatic sports, learn-to-swim programmes, hydrotherapy and recreational use.
Deputy Mayor and Mount Maunganui ward councillor Jen Scoular raised concerns about demolishing the existing Memorial Park pool, which closed permanently at Easter.
She said the pools functioned as a living memorial to soldiers who fought in World War II.
Staff said there were opportunities to incorporate that history into the new development.
Scoular suggested it should recognise veterans of all conflicts involving New Zealand.
Councillors agreed to allocate $4m funding for decommissioning the existing pool, and detailed design and consenting of the new facility.
They said the demolition was subject to acknowledgment the detailed design would include a connection to the living memorial in the existing pool, extended to include all veterans.
The council would revisit the design, costs and long-term funding implications in September as part of wider long-term plan discussions.
Councillors also agreed to move ahead with plans to expand the Baypark arena into a larger sports hub.
This included relocating Tauranga Netball from Blake Park to a new multisport centre at Baypark, alongside upgrades to site access, parking and wider infrastructure.
The netball facility alone is now estimated to cost $19.36m, including risk and contingency, up from $15.34m in July.
The TECT Community Fund had agreed to contribute $2m towards the project.
Staff said higher costs reflected more detailed design work and better understanding of site conditions, including ground stability, infrastructure requirements and construction methods.
Councillors said cost increases needed to be better justified.
Mayor Mahé Drysdale said he was “annoyed” by the cost of a proposed toilet block.
The block, with two accessibility toilets and two regular toilets, was priced at $350,000.
“Pay me $350,000 and I’ll build you four toilets, and I’ll have a very nice profit on the back of it as well,” Drysdale said.
“We’re talking about being tight on budgets … yet we’re just throwing money away.”
Drysdale said the cost estimate undermined his confidence in the wider project budget.
“That leads to a massive loss of trust for me. What else can we cut out here? What are we wasting money on?”
Councillors asked staff to find savings without reducing the scope of the projects.
Staff said costs could be refined further as designs progressed, but warned significant savings might require scope changes.
Councillors requested updated budgets and more detailed financial modelling before committing to final figures.
Councillors also debated funding for a new $16m Badminton Multisport Centre at Tatua Reserve – land the council allocated in 2020.
The council decided to stick with its previously committed $5m contribution, despite calls to increase funding to help get the project built sooner.
Staff warned that without additional funding, the project could be delayed for years, or might not go ahead at all.
A proposal to increase funding to $6m failed after a tied vote.
Scoular said they could not commit more funding without understanding the financial impact.
More details of the council’s contribution will be decided at a later meeting.
Matua-Ōtūmoetai ward councillor Glen Crowther said the council needed to balance investment across different sports.
“You don’t want to make it inequitable that you’re catering well for swimmers and not for badminton, or for netball.
“That’s a really tough balancing act.”
Pāpāmoa ward councillor Steve Morris said the upcoming long-term plan discussions would be critical.
“It’s hard to get the balance right when you don’t have the full picture in front of you.
“We are under an incredible amount of pressure budget-wise.”
Despite the concerns, councillors broadly supported the direction of the projects, saying new facilities were needed to keep pace with growth.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Ayla Yeoman is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2022.