Tauranga City Council has entered a new chapter in its capital project programme delivery, with a primary focus on providing better value-for-money and positive outcomes for the community.
Mahe Drysdale
The new approach is exemplified by the reset of the Memorial Park Aquatic Centre project. A budget of $123.4 million had been set aside for a new aquatic centre at Memorial Park in Tauranga as part of the Commission-led 2024-34 Long-term Plan. Around that time, the old Warehouse building at 483 Cameron Road was purchased to convert to the new four indoor court facility, Haumaru, because early investigations indicated that the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre (QEYC) and Memorial Hall would need to be demolished.
The then-newly-elected Council paused the aquatic centre project in October last year while more information and community feedback was sought. Following that process, Council elected members have now confirmed a new direction that will see a redesigned aquatic centre built on the site of the existing Memorial Pool, with the QEYC and Memorial Hall kept operational until 2041.
Memorial Park Pool
I have to say that elected members were disappointed by the $4.7 million that had been spent to date on the aquatic centre (covering aspects such as a business case analysis, concept and developed designs, engineering and contractor costs and geothermal and geotechnical investigations, along with legal and staff costs), before we paused the project. Having looked at alternative options, I’m confident that our new direction will deliver this much-needed community facility for tens of millions of dollars less than had been budgeted, which is a win for everybody because it will allow us to spread investment further across our communities.
The money spent so far is considerable, but it’s expected that work associated with foundation design, selection of pool tanks, mechanical and electrical design will be applicable to the new facility. So we’re not starting from scratch – we’re building on what’s already been done, doing it smarter and achieving a significant saving overall.
For example, by shifting back to the old pool site and keeping the QEYC and Memorial Hall open, we’ve saved $2.4 million in demolition costs. And by retaining three much-needed indoor courts for another 16 years, we’ve avoided future replacement costs, and those savings are a direct result of our change in approach.
A Project Steering Group, including Councillors, will guide the next stage of design development for the aquatic centre. The revised concept will prioritise value for money and functionality, considering a mix of indoor and outdoor facilities to support lane swimming, aquatic sports, learn-to-swim programmes, hydrotherapy, and recreational play.
The feedback we’ve heard also indicates that Tauranga needs a 50-metre pool for competitive sports, but Memorial Park is not an ideal location. If we can save money here, delivering a 50-metre pool elsewhere can be sped up and other priority projects will become affordable sooner.
While acknowledging past concerns about Council spending, we can confirm that this Council is focused on delivering projects with greater transparency, accountability and cost-efficiency. We’re confident that the changes we’re making will bring improved financial rigour and more discipline to our project management processes, ensuring that ratepayers’ money is well-spent, where it’s needed most. There are some projects we won’t be able to influence, due to the stage in the delivery cycle they’re in, but we will continue to look for efficiencies wherever we can.
All this will require some tough calls, but we make no apology for that. It’s our job as elected members to deliver value for our people and that may mean that some projects are delayed, or even cancelled, if they won’t deliver value for money.
The new direction for the Aquatic Centre, and other projects in the pipeline, reflects our commitment to stopping unnecessary spending and focusing on smart, cost-efficient and community-focused solutions.
- Note: In keeping with the Council’s commitment to transparency, a breakdown of the Aquatic Centre costs has been made available on Tauranga City Council’s website.
- See: Te Hōpua Kaukau o Memorial Park – Memorial Park Aquatic Centre
- See: Costs incurred
Memorial Park
