John MacDonald: Hotpool sell-off idea leaves me cold

If there’s one city council facility in Christchurch that never seems to have a bad word said about it, it’s the He Puna Taimoana hot pools at New Brighton. 

 

I would actually say that the pools are one of Christchurch’s great post-earthquake success stories. 

 What’s more, they don’t run at a loss. How often can you say that about anything run by a local council? 

 Tell that to city councillor Aaron Keown, though. Because he’s come up with this idea of selling the hot pools to try and get some cash in the door, so the council can avoid increasing rates by about nine percent next year. 

 I’m telling you now. It would be the wrong thing to do. And I don't think it matters whether you’ve been there or not to know how daft an idea this is. Because those pools have become one of Christchurch’s absolute gems. 

I haven’t actually been there for a dip myself. But I know plenty of people who have - and they all rave about it. 

In fact, I was talking to someone this morning who went there for the first time just a few weeks ago. He described it as “exceptional”. 

And if you’re hearing this and thinking ‘oh must give it a go’. Today is your lucky day. Because I checked the online booking system earlier and there are spaces available right now. 

It’s your lucky day because, sometimes, the hot pools can be booked out for days - if not weeks - in advance. That’s how popular they are.  

That was one of the many things that this person I was talking to today loved about going there recently. It wasn’t crowded. It was very well controlled. That’s a booking system for you. 

So why is Aaron Keown even entertaining the idea of selling off the pools? It’s because the council is really struggling to find ways of avoiding that nine percent rates increase next year. 

It’s not the only idea that’s being thrown around the council table. But it’s the only one that I’m dead against. Councillor Sara Templeton, for example, has suggested they could sell-off the Lichfield Street carpark. 

They can do what they want with that, as far as I’m concerned. But leave the hot pools out of this conversation. 

Because not only is it a success story now. It’s been a success story since it opened four-and-a-half years ago. 

It was late May 2020 and the council was predicting that it wouldn’t make any money in its first year. It was executing the pools to run at an $886,000 loss. 

But it went nuts. And, instead of losing money, it made money. In its first year it turned a profit of $109,000. How many council facilities do that? Not just in Christchurch, but anywhere. 

They’d hoped to get 75,000 people through the gates. But they had about 120,000 visitors instead. And in March this year, the 500,000th visitor went through the door. 

At the time, the manager of the pools - Merryn Skipper - said the pools had had a massive positive impact on the local community. 

She said, since the pools opened, Eftpos spending in the New Brighton area has increased on average by 200,000 transactions a month. Which, all up, equate to about 9.4 million extra Eftpos transactions in the area since May 2020.  

It’s a gold mine! So where is councillor Aaron Keown coming from with this idea of his? 

He reckons Ngāi Tahu Tourism would be right up for buying the pools. He says: “With another operator it might be better for the area. Especially if we throw them a consent to build a nice big hotel across the road.” 

Where I think that idea falls over, is the fact that 85 percent of the people who go there are locals. 

Either way, if the council wants to avoid that nine percent rates increase, it needs to come up with other ideas. Flogging-off the hot pools shouldn't be one of them. 

LIST

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
If there's one, I mean, I think you'll agree with me.
If there's one city council facility in christ Church that
never seems to have a bad word said about it,
what would it be. I'll tell you what it is.
It's the hot pools at New Brighton. Hepoona Taimoana. Now,
I would actually say that those pools are one of
christ Churches great post earthquake success stories. And what's more,

(00:38):
they don't run at a loss. How often can you
say that about anything run by a local council anywhere?
But tell that to city councilor Aaronkewan though, because he's
come up with this and I've just got to say
it's got to come out with it. He's come up
with this daft idea of selling the hot pools to

(01:00):
try and get some cash in the door so the
council can avoid increasing rates by about nine percent next year.
I'm telling you now it would be daft. And I
don't think it matters whether you've been there or not
to know how daft an idea this is. I mean,
you might think it's a brilliant idea. I think it's
a daft idea because those pools, they have become one
of christ Church's absolute gems. In always I haven't actually

(01:26):
been there, you might say it is a bit rich.
I actually haven't been there for a dip myself, but
I know plenty of people who have and they all
rave about it. In fact, I was talking to someone
in the office just before who went there for the
first time just a few weeks ago. He said it
was exceptional. That was a word he used. And if
you're hearing this and thinking to well, must give it
a go. Tell you what today is your lucky day.

(01:50):
I won't get out there, but you might because I've
checked online the online booking system, and there are spaces
available right now. And it is your lucky day because sometimes,
and this is how popular and successful these pools are.
Sometimes they can be booked up for days, if not
weeks in advance. Now, that was one of the many

(02:13):
things this person I was talking to today loved about
and coming there recently because the booking system wasn't crowded,
really well controlled. That's a booking system for you. So
why is counselor Aaron cwan even entertaining the idea of
selling off this success story was because the councilor was
really struggling, surprise, surprise, struggling to find ways of avoiding

(02:36):
that nine percent rates increase next to Year's not the
only idea been thrown about, but it's the only one
that I'm dead against. Another example, councilor Sarah Templeton, she
suggested they could sell off the Litchfield Street car park.
They can do. You can do what you want with
the car park, guys, but leave the hot pools out
of this conversation, because not only is it a success

(02:58):
story now, it's been a success story ever since it
opened four and a half years ago. This was late
May twenty twenty. And how about this. The council was
predicting at the time it wouldn't make any money its
first year and its first year, and it was even
expecting a loss of eight hundred thousand bucks eight hundred
and eighty six thousand to be precise. But instead of that,

(03:21):
the place went nuts and instead of losing money, it
made money. In its first year, it turned a profit
of one hundred and nine thousand. How many council facility
do that? Not just in christ Rich anywhere could be
the only one, I reckon. They'd hoped to get seventy
five thousand people through the gates. They got one hundred
and twenty thousand instead, and in March this year the

(03:44):
five hundred thousandth visitor went through the door and at
the time the manager of the pools, Meren's Skipper is
an arm She said, the polls that have had a
massive positive impact on the local community as well. It's
not there's not just a brilliant facility to go and
have a dip at. It's a money spinner for the
community because since the pool's opened, f poss spending in

(04:05):
the New Brighton area has in creased on average by
two hundred thousand transactions a month, so all up it
equates to about nine point four million extra f post
transactions in New Brighton since May twenty twenty. It's a
gold mine. So where is counselor Aaron Cwan coming from
with this idea of his Well, he reckons is what

(04:26):
he reckons. You see, he wants to get money in,
saddled off, gets some money in try and avoid a
rates increase. He reckons an outfit like Nahoo tourism would
be right up for buying the polls. Here's a direct
quote from what Aaron's saying today. He's saying with another operator,
it might be better for the area, especially if you
throw them a consent to build a most big hotel
across the road. End of quote. Now, where I think

(04:50):
that idea or where that part of the idea falls over,
aside from the stupidity of getting rid of a brilliant
counsel and community asset that runs in the black. But
where his idea of flogging off the polls to a
tourism operator falls over is this is the fact that
eighty five percent of people who go there are locals.
So I didn't even think mighta who would be the
least bit interested either way, you might have picked up

(05:14):
on it either way. If the council wants to avoid
this nine percent rates increase, then it needs to come
up with other ideas as far as I'm concerned, anyway.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
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