Whanganui East Pool survived closure last year, with councillors overriding a recommendation from officers. Photo / NZME
After another vote and more heated discussion by district councillors on its future, Whanganui’s last public outdoor pool has survived.
The Whanganui East Pool, opened in 1926, will be refurbished and upgraded, with a business case developed for the future upgrade of the district’s main swimming facility, Splash Centre.
That plan was moved by councillor Michael Law at a meeting on Tuesday, August 12.
Mayor Andrew Tripe and councillors Law, Glenda Brown, Ross Fallen, Jenny Duncan, Kate Joblin, Charlie Anderson, Rob Vinsen, Philippa Baker-Hogan and Jenny Duncan were in favour of upgrading the pool, with Deputy Mayor Helen Craig and councillor Peter Oskam against.
Developing a business case for the Splash Centre, to be included in the council’s long-term plan 2027-2030 process, also passed 10-2, with Brown and Oskam voting against.
Councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay, who has supported maintaining and upgrading the Whanganui East Pool, was absent.
The council set aside $2 million in its 2025/26 budget to implement, or start to implement, whatever councillors signed off.
Law first proposed the motion at a council meeting on July 15 after presentations from a 39-person citizens’ assembly on the future of outdoor swimming in the district.
However, a procedural motion to leave the item on the table until August 12 passed by 8-5.
The citizens’ assembly presented two options to councillors at last month’s meeting – upgrade the Whanganui East Pool and further develop the Splash Centre (option one), or expand the Splash Centre and close/dispose of the Whanganui East Pool (option two).
This week, Law said his motion addressed both the assembly’s options – “it’s not mutually exclusive”.
He said Whanganui East was used by people from across the city and, with heating, it could be open longer over the summer season.
“There is $1.4m of quotable upgrades that can be put in,” he said.
“If, by 2032, you still want to get rid of the Whanganui East Pool, give it to the community, and at least you’ve set it up for success for 20 years.”
Citizens’ assembly member Brad Fisher told the Chronicle he was over the moon about the council’s decision, as were other members.
“We were not expecting 10-2,” he said.
“I think everyone’s really happy, even proponents of option two.”
If Law’s motion failed, councillors would have voted on the assembly’s second option, which was recommended by council officers.
Before the council’s 2024-2027 long-term plan, officers had recommended closing Whanganui East Pool.
Instead, most elected members voted to keep the pool open for the 2024/25 season and commission a $40,000 options report on the future of outdoor swimming.
That document, the Whanganui Aquatics Network Plan from consultants RSL, was provided to the citizens’ assembly during its five-week process.
Oskam said it was not compulsory to spend the $2m allocated in the 2025/26 budget.
“If we invested that into our community groups, across the whole community, that’s where I’d like to explore first, before we just put it into an aquatics centre.”
Councillor Jenny Duncan said residents in Whanganui’s suburbs needed to feel a sense of place, belonging, care and relevance.
“When we do something like close a swimming pool, that continues to take the heart out of that community,” she said.
“It’s our suburbs that make us what we are, not the centre of town.
“We have the money in the budget to do a very good job of turning the Whanganui East Pool into something far more attractive.”
Tripe said Whanganui East was “the pool that doesn’t want to close”.
“It’s the immortal pool, and it’s the pool that provides the Whanganui East community, and the wider Whanganui community, with a recreational facility,” he said.
“To concentrate facilities and activities in the centre of town will take away from suburban cohesion.
“We need to do more in other suburbs, too.”
Council chief executive David Langford said Law’s motion effectively approved the assembly’s first recommendation.
Planning for Whanganui East would begin immediately, he said.
“We will get some input from contractors and suppliers to really firm up the price to do the work, and we’ll work with the citizens’ assembly participants.
“Hopefully, we can be well under way with some of the upgrades without interrupting the summer swim season.
“We will see how much we can get done in the next few months. It might be a bit of work before and a bit of work after.”
Last season, the pool was open from December 19 to February 5.
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.