Q'town pool to close weekends due to lifeguard shortage

A critical lifeguard shortage is forcing the Queenstown Lakes District Council to close its public swimming pool in Queenstown every weekend from February 18.

Sport and recreation manager Simon Battrick said, aside from Covid-related closures, it was the first time Alpine Aqualand had not been able to keep doors open in the past six years.

The weekend closures would be indefinite.

The community pool normally operated 199 hours a week — at present, they were short 144 of the required roster hours to safely staff the facility, which includes a lap pool, leisure pool, lazy river, two hydroslides, tapered toddlers’ pool, a hot pool, and learners’ pool for swimming lessons, which would be able to continue.

At least three full-time lifeguards and one or two part-timers were needed to meet the required roster hours.

While existing pool staff, including those about to return to university, had done all they could to keep the facility open to this point, they had now run out of options.

"Even if we asked our staff to do extra shifts, there aren’t enough staff to cover them," Mr Battrick said.

"We’re just so short."

The lifeguard shortage also meant Arrowtown Pool would close on February 13, about a month earlier than scheduled.

"Wanaka, fingers crossed, we’re hoping we’re going to be OK."

Mr Battrick said the staffing issues were the same as had been experienced across the Queenstown Lakes district for the past year, further exacerbated by accommodation issues in the resort.

Hundreds of employees were struggling to find affordable, secure, long-term rental accommodation, while many others in such accommodation had recently been given their 90 days’ notice by landlords who either wanted to put the property on Airbnb, for example, or sell it.

In many cases, that meant staff were leaving the district.

Mr Battrick said council staff were not immune.

"We’ve got staff living in vans."

Another factor was increases to pay rates starting to come in to effect from next month.

Under the accredited employer work visa, for example, any migrant worker offered employment before February 27 must be paid at least the median of $27.76.

Anyone offered work under that visa on or after February 27 must be paid at least the new median, $29.66.

When asked if sponsoring those workers would be an option, Mr Battrick was doubtful.

"I’d love to say yes, but the reality is, these are entry-level jobs ...  financially, I just can’t see us doing it."

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Glyn Lewers said for an organisation like council, "that option’s off the table, we just can’t afford that".

On accommodation, he said council "can’t just magic up accommodation".

"We’re trying different avenues and looking at everything."

Mr Battrick said the weekend closures would be reviewed on a week-by-week basis.