As part of a series on the future of Thames Centennial Pool, reporter Kelley Tantau looks at the community campaign to retain aquatic facilities in Thames, the people behind it, and what comes next for the pool and its staff.
What began as a push to make sure Thames did not lose its pool has grown into an organised community campaign.
At its heart is a steadfast group of five, known as Kahikatea, who have been working to keep the issue firmly on council’s radar.
The group formed with a straightforward aim: to convince Thames-Coromandel District Council of the need to build a replacement all-year pool in Thames, following council’s commitment to remove the ageing Centennial Pool from Taipari Park and return the land to Ngāti Maru by June, 2027.
With no replacement facility yet on the table, Thames Needs a Pool member Anne Barker said the group felt an urgent need to make sure the community would not be left without somewhere to swim.
She told The Profile that the group – which has between 12 and 20 people attending its monthly meetings and a much wider network following its work through its mailing list – had learned “a surprising amount” about the challenges of providing aquatic facilities. This includes balancing demand and affordability, and considering how facilities could best serve communities across the district.
But underneath all the talk of funding and future plans were the people who used the pool and the staff who kept it going.
Last month, Anne and fellow Thames Needs a Pool members brought morning tea to the pool as a small gesture of thanks to the staff, of which there are 6.5 council employees and nine casual swim instructors and lifeguards.
“The staff at the Thames Centennial Pool are amazing,” she said. “They look after our pool, keep people safe, and do so with a smile on their faces even when they are faced with job insecurity with the scheduled demolition.
“[We] wanted to acknowledge the great job that they are doing and that they and their work is valued.”
Earlier, on May 26, Thames Needs a Pool presented Thames-Coromandel Mayor Peter Revell with a petition calling for continued access to a local facility, signed by 944 people.
The group has also been involved in council’s Aquatic Facilities Provision steering group, contributing to discussions about the future of aquatic facilities across the district.
Councillor and steering group member Greg Hampton said there had been “positive discussions with Ngāti Maru representatives” about the removal of the pool and that the group was doing its best to avoid a gap in aquatic facility provision for Thames and the wider catchment of pool users.
“The project now has good momentum and a clear pathway forward.”
A TCDC statement said that plans for a potential pool replacement and the demolition timing will be confirmed in its 2027-2037 Long Term Plan, which will open for public consultation around March, 2027.
Staff will be publicly presenting a report on the future of aquatics in the district at the next Infrastructure and Finance Committee meeting on August 13, and the subsequent full council meeting on August 25.
BY KELLEY TANTAU
