Swim coach losing position in move to new town pool
LONGSTANDING Wanaka swim coach Stacey Wells seems set to lose her coaching space when Wanaka swimmers move over to the town’s new pool.
Mrs Wells runs the Wanaka Swim Academy in the existing Plantation Rd pool, alongside the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s own Wanaka Swim School.
A recommendation to Thursday’s Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting is for just one provider of learnto swim services at the new Three Parks pool due to open next month.
The recommendation from an ‘‘evaluation panel’’ is for the sole provider, from the start of term 3, to be the council’s swim school.
The panel was made up of Sport Otago chief executive John Brimble, Swimming NZ national learn to swim manager Chris Morgan, and council general manager community services Thunes Cloete.
The 67page report to the council, prepared by sport and recreation manager Simon Battrick, said having a sole provider of swim schools is considered ‘‘best practice’’ by Swimming NZ.
The model is followed at Queenstown’s Alpine Aqualand pool.
In 2015, the privately run Wakatipu Swim School was shut out of operating at the Queenstown pool, in favour of the council’s school.
Mr Battrick’s report said the advantages of a sole provider were a higher level of control, greater flexibility, revenue going back to the council and council staff jobs.
Disadvantages included citizens wanting a different provider having to go elsewhere, and a possible drop in the quality of lessons with no competition.
Swim services are regarded as a core function of local government and only two of 67 councils in New Zealand operate dual provision of learntoswim lessons in a single facility — Central Otago and Gisborne.
Mr Battrick called swim schools ‘‘at best a marginal business’’ with class charges ‘‘only partially’’ covering costs.
Mrs Wells could not be reached last night.