Tauranga City Council has confirmed its intention to progress with a redesigned Memorial Park Aquatic Centre to be built on the site of the existing Memorial Pool.
Late last year, the council put plans for the $105m Memorial Park aquatic centre revamp on hold to look at other design options.
The original $105m plan had included a bombing pool, splash pad, toddler pool, eight indoor swimming lanes and two outdoor lanes.
It would have replaced the outdoor pool and the QEII Youth Centre at Memorial Park.
This week, Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the decision to progress with a redesigned centre would preserve key community assets, including the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre (QEYC) and Memorial Hall.
“This is a smart, community-focused solution that balances cost, functionality, and the need to retain important community spaces. It’s a win for Tauranga.
“It gives us an opportunity to develop the project from the ground up and allows council to deliver a significantly better value-for-money option.”
Recent geotechnical investigations confirmed the feasibility of building on the existing pool site, with similar foundation requirements to nearby facilities.
The council has engaged Apollo Projects to lead the revised concept design and cost estimation phase, with a $50,000 design fee approved.
A project steering group, including councillors, will guide the next stage of design development.
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 council said.
The council has also reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the QEYC and Memorial Hall operational until 2041, when earthquake strengthening will be required.
The Memorial Park Aquatic Centre project was originally scheduled to begin in 2024/25 with a $123.4 million budget.
15 comments
IMO
Posted on 17-09-2025 12:01 | By Yadick
IMO, this a great idea and realistically it needs a complete revamp/overhaul.
It could however be funded by getting rid of the mostly unwanted museum and meeting rooms and redirecting the money here. The aquatic centre complex will get substantially more use than a nice to have, fill the space, mostly unwanted museum and meeting rooms.
Moneywise
Posted on 17-09-2025 13:15 | By Moneywise
OMG.
These guys just cannot help themselves can they. More money on glory projects...and it isnt just another silly $1.5m playground upgrade..whoops..3 more of those coming...it is $100m plus...THAT IS ABOUT 200 NEW 4 BEDROOM GJ Gardener brick houses...Where is it
coming from?...parking charges?...whoops that is going the the unwanted museum project interest bill...YES...it is BORROWED.
Are we voting for a change next month....dam..they got 4 years. One has to wonder what Tauranga's debt and our rates will be then. Spending our money like it is all free just has to stop.TAURANGAA NEEDS HELP.
Mmmmm
Posted on 17-09-2025 13:31 | By earlybird
I wonder which of the Mayors mates will get this contract. Perhaps TCC might like to tell us how many individuals actually use this pool on a daily/weekly basis, and by individuals, I mean if Joe Bloggs comes 5 times a day/week, it only counts as one, not 5. Please inform us Mr Mayor.
Hmmm
Posted on 17-09-2025 13:34 | By Howbradseesit
Does anyone really care what our out of town Mayor says or does anymore?
Cash Cow
Posted on 17-09-2025 13:47 | By formulafuzz
Yet another mad and unnecessary decision to burden ratepayers with even more costs. Already we are the most indebted city in NZ. Get rid of all TCC employees who sit around dreaming up new projects to spend residents money.
@Yadick
Posted on 17-09-2025 14:29 | By morepork
Sure, it all looks very attractive when it's an "architect's conception". I've been swimming at Memorial Pool since I was a kid (it's a very long time) and I still have happy memories of splashing there with friends from school. I am an ardent fan of swimming and it would be my favourite sporting activity, BUT, I don't believe the Memorial Pool has enough traffic (even in peak season) to justify a $100 million expansion (even if it does look very pretty...). By all means, if refurbishment so it can continue operation is required, go ahead, but don't let's make it another vanity project.
As a teenager, my friends and I used to swim across the harbour to where they were building the Maungatapu causeway, then swim back to 6th Ave, resting on the sandbanks that emerged as the tide went out. We have an ocean on our doorstep.
Fab news
Posted on 17-09-2025 15:13 | By Jenny K
This is a VERY welcome decision for all those thousands of people that use the QEYC and Memorial Hall facilities. We have witnessed a massive amount of resource with the preplanning of the "super project" to knock down these much needed indoor facilities not to mention the stress for community sport providors. Thankfully we can breath again and keep planning for sport in these facilities knowing we will have some space intact. Community sport makes for a much better community.
Gidday morepork
Posted on 17-09-2025 16:12 | By Yadick
Firstly, WOW. A massive swim 6th Ave to Maungatapu return. Well done. We'd go camping at Christmas to Memorial Park when we came to New Zealand many decades ago and I learnt to swim at Memorial Pools. Learnt to use a skateboard at the skating rink and how to break an arm on roller skates. Fond memories. I think once rebuilt it'll attract a much greater patronage or at least I would hope so. Like I said in my comment, use the museum and meeting rooms money. To do both will be a stretch too far. That rubberband is already perished and at breaking point being tied with a knot of ratepayers hard earned money. A vanity project - dead against it. I believe the museum and meeting rooms are nothing more than a vanity project but I think it's time to do something with Memorial Pools.
Aquatic Centre
Posted on 17-09-2025 17:20 | By peter pan
Great idea i`ve been using the Baywave Centre for the last 11 years like many more Tauranga people. As usual we have the knockers but one day they might use these facilities and say " Boy i should have been doing it for years "Go for it.
The master
Posted on 17-09-2025 17:33 | By Ian Stevenson
Just as well no election this year @ TCC.
TCC staff have no idea of how to stop spend/wasting other money... anything not accepted immediately keeps on being "reinvented" until some Muppet-brainless whatever slips up and agrees...
Wait for the "public" consultation, you don't even need to blink an eye to miss it...
The Master
Posted on 17-09-2025 17:35 | By Ian Stevenson
@ Jenny K
There are no "thousands" of users, dream on.
Reality check, TCC cant even find staff for it on week day mornings, so its closed.
Of course that means it is already a complete white elephant and a joke 24/7... of course TCC want to spend a heap a money and make that a lot bigger. Perfect match for TCC achievements and expectations...
Bombing Pool
Posted on 18-09-2025 07:36 | By CliftonGuy
A "Bombing Pool"? Since when was this an Olympic sport? I cannot see the point of this expense. At least a diving pool gives a person an opportunity to strive for Olympic gold.
@Ian Stevenson
Posted on 18-09-2025 14:27 | By Howbradseesit
I feel like once the changes are completed the pool will be utilised on a much greater scale than it is currently. Tauranga based families currently need to travel to Bay Wave for a positive pool experience for the kids, once the Memorial pool is upgraded I feel that this will change and useage will jump. So like Jenny K, I'm all for it.
Quick note to Yadick
Posted on 18-09-2025 18:00 | By morepork
6th Ave to the causeway is not such a big deal; you can walk a long way out from 6th Ave and there are sandbanks you can rest (we used to sunbathe...) on. The problem I find is that as you get older the water temperature has a bearing on it. I swim at Baywave (an excellent facility with lap lanes thanks to the Trustpower Trust) and at the Hot Pools, mainly because they are both TEPID facilities; Memorial Park is not (not sure... maybe). My feeling currently is that we should only be doing ESSENTIAL projects (that would include making sure Memorial Park stays viable, but NOT the $300 million CBD nonsense). I'm sick of watching TCC spend Other People's (yours and my) Money with reckless abandon and no hesitation or true answerability.
Mahy drying up all the rate payers money dale 😒
Posted on 23-09-2025 20:08 | By Sarah112
Can't they just leave something original in Tauranga who is it for? I love taking my kids to this pool complex cause it's not fancy and it's very affordable, which it won't stay that way if they do an upgrade it will more expensive to go there and families just want to afford activities for their kids that don't rob their bank account, let's go to the movies oh that will be about $50-100, or let's go to literally every family activity in Tauranga oh wait that will mean $50 less on groceries this week jeezTauranga City council work with the people of this town not the pen pushes trying to make a name for themselves from their plush seats in their brand spanking new building 😏
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