A social media post published to the Whakatāne Notice Board Facebook group has prompted Whakatāne District Council to clarify misinformation being spread.

The post, which surpassed 100 comments, criticised Whakatāne Aquatic and Fitness Centre for its “failed ventilation equipment”, stating “…come Summer the indoor spaces will close”. In addition, the post stated Council “said it’s not in the current budget to maintain / replace repair” [sic], and questioned user health and safety with regard to chlorine and ventilation.

General Manager Community Experience Georgina Fletcher says the post is misleading and she’s keen to set the record straight. 

“The amount of people we have coming through the doors of the Aquatic Centre daily, coupled with the popularity of this particular post, is an example of the value our hapori / community place on this fantastic community asset.” Georgina adds, “That being said, we often see misinformation spread on public forums about Council activities and we take it on the chin; however, when inaccurate information gains momentum, particularly around the health and safety of our community, we can’t just let that lie.”

Georgina says while one air conditioning unit at the Aquatic Centre has broken down with replacement equipment on the way from Australia, the much-loved facility will not be closing now, or over Summer, and the repair is budgeted for.

“The fact is, we’re experiencing higher than usual temperatures and humidity in the main pool area due to the breakdown of an air con unit. It is hoped to be replaced within a week, through which time the pools will remain open, air circulation will be improved.” 

She adds, “It’s important to remember from time to time, just like every other business, our infrastructure breaks down and we need to order replacements.” 

“Council has a repair and maintenance budget to cover unexpected equipment failure and upgrades like this, so our communities can rest assured a solution is underway.”

For those concerned about health and safety, Georgina says everyone can rest assured the facility is safe to operate as usual.

“The health and safety of our hapori is our utmost concern. There is absolutely no way we would open our doors if this was in jeopardy.” She adds, “The team has been monitoring temperature levels throughout the day since the onset of this issue, last Thursday (13th October). Temperatures are within safe levels and have been since the break down in this equipment. We informed our communities about this as soon as it occurred.” 

Indoor pool environments are warm and humid so it’s always important to stay hydrated. “While our temps are a bit higher than usual, we’re encouraging spectators, pool users and gym-goers to drink water while in the facility – water refill stations and bottled water are available.”  

Georgina says it’s important to remember the Centre is a chlorine-treated environment and the very nature of this means there’ll be an associated odour in the complex.

“Chlorine produces an odour when it’s working. With school our treatment systems have needed to work harder than usual because of the sheer number of people who have been enjoying our facility. We monitor chlorine levels every 2-3 hours and operate a tri-treatment system which features, filtration, chlorine and UV. Because of this we can actually keep our chlorine levels at the lower end of the scale.”

Georgina urges everyone to think twice about venting on social media, and instead, approach Council directly. 

“While we appreciate the ease of posting to social media, we encourage everyone in our community to contact us first about any issues you identify across the rohe, or things you feel passionate about. This allows us the opportunity to provide accurate information from the start and prevents misinformation like this circulating.” 

“Either that, or post to Council’s page so we can respond!” she adds.

Further information

There are multiple exciting upgrades schedule in the near future for the Whakatāne Aquatic Centre, including:

•    The much-loved water fountain feature in the infant pool was not repairable and a new model was purchased three months ago. It is currently en route from America and we expect installation will be completed in three months’ time.  
•    Roller blinds have been ordered for the north side of the indoor complex.
•    The entire spa pool area is set to be upgraded and includes a new-look design, re-tiling and the installation of a new heat pump which will help the spas run more efficiently (this is expected to be completed before Christmas).
•    Replacement of the filtration system in the 33m pool (scheduled for mid-2023). This will improve water quality and decrease water and power wastage (note the 33m pool will be closed during this upgrade, as the pool will need to be emptied).