Thames Aquatic Provision Feedback

Our Council is looking at developing a new aquatic facility to serve Thames’ future needs. There are four options we are seeking community feedback on.

Please read the document Thames Aquatic Provision Summary of Options to find out more. Download the document from this link or side panel or get a paper copy from Thames Council office front desk or Thames Library.

Quick background summary

Thames Centennial Pool is located on a sacred urupā (burial ground). Our Council and Ngāti Maru have agreed to remove the pool and return the land to Ngāti Maru. Also, at 50 years old, Thames Centennial Pool is reaching the end of its useful life and its design is not fit for purpose to meet current and future community needs. In addition, Waikato Regional Aquatic Plan 2017 identified an under-supply of all-year aquatic provision and lack of warm water in Thames-Coromandel.

In 2022 we undertook a needs assessment to find out the community’s needs and priorities for future aquatic provision. You can read that Needs Assessment here.

In 2023 we assessed possible sites for a new aquatic facility. This involved reviewing 18 sites around Thames. These were narrowed down to four potential local sites for detailed investigation. We also undertook a location analysis for a sub-regional aquatic facility that could also serve users from Hauraki District. The four site options were set out in February 2024 in a Feasibility Study which you can read here.

Since then, Hauraki District Council has confirmed that it is no longer in a financial position to contribute to the cost of a sub-regional pool. However, a larger sub-regional facility is still one of the four options we’re looking at now.

As a result of the feasibility study, we are focused on four options, located at two sites.

What are the options?

• Option A: a new local aquatic facility with all indoor pools on Thames High School grounds – estimated build cost up to $42.5 million
  
  
• Option B: a new local aquatic facility with a mix of indoor pools and an outdoor pool on Thames High School grounds – estimated build cost up to $36.5 million
  
  
• Option C: a new sub-regional aquatic facility with a bigger mix of indoor pools in Kōpū South – estimated build cost up to $77 million
  
  
• Option D: no investment in aquatic provision and Thames Centennial Pool is removed – estimated cost to remove Centennial Pool and restore Taipari Park up to $550,000

Find out more about each of these options and what features they include in the document Thames Aquatic Provision Summary of Options.

How do I give my views?

Please fill in this survey asking you about what you think of the four options outlined in Thames Aquatic Provision Summary of Options. It's open until Monday 6 May.  

There’ll also be paper copies of the survey available to fill in and hand in at Thames Council offices front desk, Thames Library and Centennial Pool. 

Complete the survey now