New Zealand moves towards residential swimming pool inspections

The New Zealand Parliament has had the first reading of the Building (Pools) Amendment Bill which will, amongst other things, usher in mandatory five-yearly pool inspections.

However, the government has backed away from lowering the depth at which pools need to be fenced after the public expressed reservations about the effect on paddling pools and councils became concerned about compliance costs.

Another change in the proposed legislation is that spa owners will no longer need to worry about fencing if they have a lockable cover. Previously, if they had a lockable cover they had to apply for a fencing exemption at a cost of $455.

Water Safety New Zealand says the weaker bill than originally planned could increase the risk factor for children.

However, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says the existing regime is cumbersome and frustrating and the new bill will be performance-based, providing greater flexibility. He says some people have misread the bill and that the new bill will improve compliance.

“The new law says you must ensure pools cannot be accessed by a young child. How you do that provides for a greater degree of innovative design. We are confident the bill will result in fewer drownings because the principle problem with the current regime is the lack of compliance,” he says.

Changes to existing legislation include:

• No longer requiring spas and hot tubs to be fenced off if they have a lockable cover and meet certain specifications.

• Require councils across the country to carry out five-yearly inspections of swimming pools.

• Make infringement notices the preferred way to deal with pool owners who fail to comply, with court prosecutions only in serious breaches.

The first reading passed parliament with cross-party support and the Building (Pools) Amendment Bill will now be heard by a select committee.