2023 Poolsafe Annual Report

Welcome to the 2023 Poolsafe Annual Report

This annual publication will provide a broad snapshot of the overall public pools industry in Aotearoa. It provides an opportunity to share key industry updates, research, major projects, and to acknowledge achievements across the industry.

The information and data collected for this report has been provided by Poolsafe facilities, Te Mahi Ako, Water Safety NZ (WSNZ), and other industry organisations/individuals. We would like to acknowledge and thank them for their contribution.

The past 12 months have seen a continuation of the recent years challenges for the industry and facilities. Lifeguard recruitment and retention issues have continued to plague facilities with some being forced to reduce hours and programmes or close completely for periods of time.

Despite this, the people within the industry remain focused and committed to their role of providing quality aquatic recreation spaces for their customers. Aquatics is a people centric industry and in the recent Lifeguard survey, working as a team and engaging with customers were the top two elements that respondents enjoyed about their role.

Water is a great leveler, and can be enjoyed by almost all regardless of age, gender, ability and ethnicity. We know from studies that there is great benefits to physical, mental and social health from recreating in water. We also know how important facilities can become to a community. This was demonstrated recently by the climate change events that occurred on the North Island, with many facilities and their staff became integral to the civil response in many areas.

We hope that you find the report informative and welcome your feedback.

Kaiwhakahaere i ngā puna a Rēhia Aquatics Programme Manager Recreation Aotearoa

JESS PRATT Kairuruku Kaupapa Programmes Coordinator Recreation Aotearoa

RHIANN COLLINS

People People

Tupara Tupara

Lifeguard Turtle Pools Turangi

How long have you been working as a lifeguard?

7 years .

What’s one thing about being a lifeguard that you didn’t know before?

How much responsibility you have. I was one of those people that use to think it must be easy working at the pools but when I started as a lifeguard it opened my eyes on how much responsibility they have from not only making sure that everyone is safe but also to make sure that everything is running smoothly.

What do you love the most about working as a lifeguard?

What I love about being a lifeguard is being able to build a relationship with everyone that comes into the facility and watching everyone enjoy their time with their families.

What do you find challenging about the job?

Having to remind people that we are not babysitters.

How has being a lifeguard influenced your decisions and attitudes?

It showed me to appreciate everything we have as for community, as we have had a lot of people come from smaller communities that wish they had what we have.

One highlight of being a lifeguard in the last year?

Being able to watch the families enjoy themselves in our facility.

Leah Stringer

Lifeguard Assessor

Waitaki Aquatic Centre

Why did you become a Lifeguard Assessor?

We were a small facility and did not have a lifeguard assessor after our then manager left. It seemed like the next step in my Aquatic career to become an assessor.

What do you enjoy most about being an assessor?

I would say I enjoy the interaction with the trainee lifeguards and being able to support them during their training to ensure we have a great team of lifeguards .

What is your history in the aquatics sector?

I began as a swim coach for Special Olympics in Oamaru in 2002. I then became a swim teacher, and lifeguard before becoming a Staff Supervisor at the Waitaki Aquatic Centre. 10 years later I moved to Caroline Bay Trust Aoraki Aquatic Centre as the Programmes CoOrdinator and then becoming The Aquatics Operations Team Leader. I left that position in October 2022 and am currently Facility Manager back at the Waitaki Aquatic Centre.

When did you became an assessor?

I became an assessor in 2011.

Would you recommend becoming an assessor?

Being an assessor is an important role and we need more people joining the aquatic and recreation sector and moving up through the ranks. Hopefully, campaigns such as “Not just a Lifeguard” will hopefully assist in getting more people into the industry.

What’s been a highlight for you as an assessor in the last year?

Moving back to the Waitaki Aquatic Centre and meeting up with lifeguards and trainee lifeguards who used to be in my preschool swimming classes and realising they must have listened as they can now swim 200m in under 6 minutes!

Keith Martin

Poolsafe Assessor Toi Ohomai

What is your history in the aquatics sector?

I started working in the aquatics industry in 2008. I worked across the council network of pools in Tauranga until 2010. Since then, I have been in my current role at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology where I manage the aquatic and fitness facilities. We have a beautiful outdoor pool and gym here which is open all year round and our main aquatic users include casual swimmers, learn to swim, water polo, underwater hockey, synchronised swimming and the Aims Games. I currently still enjoy working poolside and I love the hands-on work that is needed to keep the pool and plant maintained. I currently also do some work for Te Mahi Ako as a senior assessor mentor, and I also do some marking on the senior pool lifeguard level 4 qualification. I also really enjoy being a part of the fitness/gym and recreation space and have been working in this industry since 2000 when I started out back in Ireland where I am originally from. I enjoy helping people move or providing the opportunity for people to move/ exercise, become healthier and achieve their goals whatever they maybe!

When did you became a Poolsafe Assessor and why?

I have been a Poolsafe assessor since 2013 or 2014 I think. I love the opportunity it provides for us to visit and learn from all the wonderfully varied facilities in New Zealand.

What do you enjoy most about being an assessor?

I love meeting all the wonderful people that work in our industry. I also really enjoy seeing all the different facilities from the brand new to the not so new!

Would you recommend becoming an assessor?

Yes definitely! Go for it.

What’s been one highlight for you as an assessor in the last year?

I visited the Dunedin region earlier in 2023. It was great to visit all these facilities especially St Clair Hot Salt Water Pools, Moana, Gore, Balclutha and Splash Palace. Some beautiful well-run facilities.

Dillon Charleville

Facility Manager Alexandra Aquatic Centre

What is your history in the recreation sector?

My recreation journey started in 2015 when I became a Program Director for the Gateway Region YMCA in St. Louis, Missouri. I worked at was the YMCA of the Ozarks, 5200-acre resort. Which included a waterfront for the 360-acre lake on site. This is how I was introduced to lifeguarding as I would need to hire and train lifeguards every summer season. In 2017 I came to New Zealand. After traveling around for a bit, I ended up in Wanaka where I worked as a Lifeguard at the Wanaka Recreation Centre. I stayed for 3 years then in 2021, I acquired a position with the Central Otago District Council as the Alexandra Pool Team Leader. A year later, I became the Team Leader for the Cromwell Pool and now I’m the Acting Aquatics Manager.

What have you learned as a facility manager?

Things are going to break and that’s just how it is. Remain calm, communicate to the relevant departments, and learn to know which contractors you can trust to carry out a quality repair.

What’s the best part about your job?

The people! I have the privilege of working with such a diverse group of people from all walks of life. Whether that be younger people just entering the work force, or people that have been working for decades and have plenty of life experiences. You find yourself teaching new skills to some but also learning new skills from others.

What do you find most challenging?

Ironically, the people as well. As everyone knows, staffing in our sector is particularly difficult nowadays. Maintaining a roster and retaining staff, especially when once considers how much training goes into a lifeguard, is a constant challenge.

What’s one tip for being a good manager?

Remain calm and remember your wins. There will almost always be challenges regarding staffing and maintenance. Embrace this reality and understand that many things are beyond your control. What gets you through to the end of the day is your staff. If you take care of your staff, they will take care of you.

In the last year, what is one project or idea that you’ve established and are proud of?

While I was the Alexandra Pool Team Leader, we installed our first Sodium Bisulphate dosing system for managing our pools PH levels. We previously used CO2 for managing our PH levels, but due to the rising costs of CO2 and issues with the system in general, we were forced to look for an alternative. The transition to Sodium Bisulphate has been very positive, with the system being both reliable and cost effective. We are now installing a Sodium Bisulphate system at the Cromwell Pool.

Kerryn Jackson

Swim Teacher Selwyn Aquatic Centre

How long have you been a swim teacher? 4 years.

Why did you become a swim teacher?

It was going to take too long to become a pre-school teacher and I had worked with Southbridge School at the summer pool and enjoyed it, so this was the perfect compromise!

What do you enjoy the most about being a swim teacher?

Working with the kids and seeing people achieve what it is they are wanting to learn.

What do you find most challenging?

Trying not to give them too much information at once and letting them experience small failures which in the end help them grow.

Would you recommend becoming a swim teacher, and why?

Absolutely! It’s the best job ever! You get to work with children, constantly learn new things and I’m doing something I love every day.

What’s been one highlight for you as a swim teacher in the last year?

Seeing some of my Waves children (children with extra needs) improve their swimming skills to levels which were not ever expected of them. I also got to step up and become a training specialist on Thursdays which means I get to share my passion with all our new staff in training!

Eileen Beattie

Aqua Programme Instructor

Richmond Aquatic Centre

What is your history in the aquatic sector?

I started out teaching and tutoring Lotto Take the Plunge swimming lessons in 1997.

How long have you been an aquatics fitness instructor?

I started teaching Aquafit shallow and deep classes in Nelson 1999 till we got our lovely pool in Richmond 2004, I have been teaching ever since.

What do you enjoy the most about the role?

I love the interaction with the clients, especially when they reach their own goals, whether that be fitness or health orientated .

What do you find most challenging?

I don’t feel I have challenges, unless the unforeseen situations of there being a problem with the sound system or microphone.

Would you recommend becoming an Aquatics Fitness Instructor?

I would encourage anyone to give instructing aqua a go. It is very Bicolpate rewarding.

What’s been one highlight for you as an instructor in the last year?

Highlight of the year, too many to mention. However, watching clients come back after surgery with such happiness and keenness to be back in the water with their friends always gives me a smile and that great warm fuzzy feeling.

2022 Lifeguard of the Year

Joseph Whittaker Community Leisure Management

The 2022 Lifeguard of the Year was presented to Joseph Whittaker from Community Leisure Management (CLM). This award is given to a lifeguard who has made a significant contribution to their facility and the aquatics industry.

Joseph started his lifeguard career at the Masterton Pools in 2012 where he was promoted to Senior Lifeguard, due to his excellent work ethic and personable customer service. Joseph currently juggles the role of Freyberg Community Pool Aquatics Coordinator during the winter and Aquatics Coordinator for three South Wairarapa pools in the summer. Joseph’s positive attitude towards his work makes him an asset to the wider aquatics industry and a deserving recipient of Lifeguard of the Year.

Three Lifeguard of the Year Merit Awards were also presented to Phil Douglas from Auckland Council, Julian Carr from Kāpiti Coast District Council, and Rebecca Fraser from Christchurch City Council.

“The awards have become a highly anticipated event within the recreation sector and the number and quality of nominations we receive each year is a testament to the people and work happening in our industry,” said Rhiann Collins, Recreation Aotearoa.

“It is a pleasure to be able reward our aquatic professionals and highlight the vital work they do in providing safe, high quality aquatic recreation experiences for their communities.”

JOSEPH WHITTAKER

REBECCA FRASER Christchurch City Council JULIAN CARR Kāpiti Coast District Council

PHIL DOUGLAS Auckland Council

2022 Aquatic Innovation Award

Swim More Often Hamilton City Council

The Aquatic Innovation Award 2022 went to Hamilton City Council for their Swim More Often programme. Hamilton City Council redeveloped their Learn to Swim programme from a traditional four term programme to an all-yearround programme with an increased focus on swim and survive skills that can be applied to real life natural water situations. The judges commented it was great to see a Learn to Swim programme being delivered in a slightly different and more engaging way.

2022 Merit Award Aquatic Innovation

Women’s Wednesdays Christchurch City Council

One Merit Award was also presented in this category. Christchurch City Council received merit for their Women’s Wednesdays Swimming Session. The judges appreciated how well-planned the initiative was and said it was a great example of how participation barriers can be removed in our aquatic facilities.

2022 OPSEC National Pool Lifeguard Competition

Live, Laugh, Lifeguard Community Leisure Management (CLM)

The OPSEC National Pool Lifeguard Competition was held on Tuesday 23 August at the Lido Aquatic Centre in Palmerston North. Due to ongoing staff shortages in the industry only 3 teams were able to make it to the competition, however this did not stop it being a hard fought battle. The teams were Live, Laugh, Lifeguard CLM National, Palmy Aquanauts CLM Lido and Wai Splash Dannevirke. The teams were put through their paces with a series of tasks which included water rescue scenarios, a quiz round, a speed race, and a TikTok challenge.

The training and professionalism of the teams shone through out the competition All three teams were able to highlight their strengths and abilities both as individuals and as a team. All teams placed first at some point during the day. It was really inspiring to see such passion and determination throughout the competition and is testament to the dedication they put in daily at their facilities to be top of their game. CLM National emerged victorious and are to be commended on retaining their title for the 4th year running.

The competition is an excellent platform for the lifeguards to show showcase their skills, teamwork, and leadership in a fun way. We hope, with feedback from industry to continue to grow this competition and see representation from lifeguards throughout the country.

Te Mahi Ako is a tertiary education organisation specialising in work-based learning for people working in active recreation, leisure and entertainment.

As at July 2023 the following number of learners were registered or completed Aquatics industry qualifications:

Patronage

Each year we collect information from our Poolsafe members, detailing the total attendance at their facilities and the number of incident/accidents, including rescues. These are broken down into non-notifiable and notifiable.

These figures are collated and give us an overall picture of how many people are using our Poolsafe facilities and the types of incidents and accidents that occur. This data is used to identify trends and to inform changes in policy and procedures which could reduce the rate of incidents. This data is also shared with WSNZ to contribute to the overall national picture of water related incidents.

The figures from July 21-July 22 show that aquatic facility attendance numbers have decreased considerably from the year before to 16 million. The incident rate remained around the same as the previous year, with one incident occurring for every 2500 visits.

1 in 2,500 Incident rate

16m Facility attendance

Incidents

1 Fatal Drowning

7

The information on incidents is based on those that have been reported to Recreation Aotearoa from Poolsafe facilities.

In the July 21 – Jun 22 year we had 1 fatal drowning and 7 non-fatal drownings of children under the age of 10. Parental or guardian supervision was a contributing factor in these incidents occurring. Other fatalities were linked to medical events, although facilities don’t always receive the cause of death at the time of reporting.

5 Non-Fatal Drowning

Fatal Medical

55

Non-Fatal Medical

Reporting of Incidents

What is the incident reporting requirement for Poolsafe pools?

All Poolsafe facilities need to report any notifiable incident that occurs at a facility to Worksafe and Recreation Aotearoa within 24 hours. An incident report needs to be provided. Facilities are also asked to complete an annual incident report for all accidents and incidents that have occurred at the facility during the year.

Where is this information kept?

Individual incident information is entered into the incident data base held by Recreation Aotearoa. The annual incident review information is collated on another database which is also held by Recreation Aotearoa.

What is this information used for?

The statistical information collected from the annual incident review is collated and shared with Water Safety New Zealand for inclusion in their national drowning statistics.

Information on individual incidents is collated and analysed to identify any trends or new issues. These are then used to inform changes to Poolsafe criteria or industry best practice.

Poolsafe Facilities

CENTRAL AUCKLAND

TARANAKI

WAIKATO

CENTRAL OTAGO

MANAWATU-WHANGANUI

WEST COAST & TASMAN

Poolsafe

Assessors

Poolsafe Assessors

Poolsafe assessors are volunteers from across the industry and chosen for their experience, skills, and competencies. They not only provide their knowledge to the facilities they visit, but they are able to take back learnings to their own organisations.

Sarah Clarke Centre Manager West Wave Pool & Leisure Auckland

Dot Legget Assistant Manager Aquatics Christchurch City Council

Kayla Davies Aquatics Operation Lead Selwyn District Council

Leah Burgess Facility Manager Rotorua Aquatic Centre

Dave McKenzie Centre Manager Riverside Pools & Nayland Pools Nelson

Nick Warwick Aquatics Team Leader Pioneer Recreation & Sports Centre Christchurch

Keith Martin Aquatic & Fitness Centre Manager Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Tauranga

Matt Greenwood Aquatic Facilities Manager Waimakariri District Council

Nick McConaghty Operation Manager Selwyn Aquatic Centre

Kristin Raynes Assistant Manager Operations H2O Xtream Upper Hutt

Gastón Vélez Operations Manager Levin Aquatic Centre Horowhenua

Darryl Hamilton Aquatic & Recreation Facilities Contract Manager Auckland

Matthew RowlandsGardner

Pools Operation Manager Polynesian Spa

Stephen Cook Aquatics Services Manager Invercargill

Jocelyn Lee Community Leisure Management

Poolsafe

Assessors

Every year we invite applications for new Poolsafe assessors. This is great professional development opportunity.

Read below to see what our current assessor’s say about the role.

Poolsafe is great for the Aquatic industry it allows us to have a benchmark and a consistent standard for all to meet It also allows Assessors to see what advances the industry has made and pick up new ideas to pass onto others.”

Ryno Nienaber Facility Manager Taupō

Alex Calwell Leisure Facilities Specialist Thrive Spaces & Places, Auckland

Steve Prescott Belgravia Leisure

Andrew Smith Facility Manager Whakatāne

STEVE PRESCOTT, DUNEDIN

Being a Poolsafe assessor has introduced me to so many industry professionals over the years. It’s been great to have those contacts throughout the NZ network to check in and chat with”

DOT LEGGETT, CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL

“Being a pool safe assessor allows me to give back to an industry that has given me so much, it is great to be able to share my knowledge and support others across NZ as well as continue to learn from those I meet along the way. This is an amazing industry.”

“I have been a Poolsafe assessor for more than 10 years now and every year I come across some great evidence of best practice across the county. As an assessor I get to visitor some unique facilities and meet staff across our industry who have a passion to improve the standard of the Aquatics industry in Aotearoa.

I hope that my 20 years’ experience in aquatics operations can help other staff and their facility achieve the Poolsafe standards and lift the standard for all of their community, whether it is for a summer pool or a regional facility.”

Being a Poolsafe Assessor provides you with an opportunity to learn what other facilities do and provide support and guidance to others by drawing from your own experience and building connections within the industry. Aquatic facilities all have the same drivers and outcomes and are important gathering points for members of the community. Learning from others and implementing improvements in your own operations provides a better level of service to the community and consistency within the industry.”

“Being a Poolsafe assessor has allowed me the privilege of collaborating with Aquatic experts from across Aotearoa. I have seen so many fantastic facilities, and really enjoy learning from their passionate pool operators. Our facilities share so many of the same challenges so sharing what works well has been very rewarding.”

“Being a Poolsafe Assessor is a fantastic way of sharing ideas with one another with in industry. There are so many amazing ideas out there it is just about finding the one that fits to your requirements. As we travel around the different facilities I am always blown away by the level of creativity and passion we see across the sector.”

NICK WARWICK, CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL

DARRYL HAMILTON, AUCKLAND COUNCIL

SARAH CLARKE, AUCKLAND COUNCIL

ANDREW SMITH, WHAKATANE DISTRICT COUNCIL

STEPHEN COOK, INVERCARGILL CITY COUNCIL

Poolsafe Advisory Group

The Poolsafe Advisory Group provides advice, industry feedback and leadership to Recreation Aotearoa with regard to the Poolsafe Scheme. The purpose is to assist with the review and development of the Poolsafe Business Plan to continuously improve and grow the scheme.

We meet twice a year to review the Poolsafe visits and update the criteria as required. It is also a chance to discuss current issues within the industry. The advisory group is also responsible for the recruiting of Poolsafe Assessors.

All our members are drawn from the aquatics industry, they are either experienced aquatic facility managers/leaders or aquatic specialist in fields such as water treatment or training.

We recently said farewell to Kirsty Knowles (CLM) and Darryl Hamilton (Auckland Council) who have stood down after 7 years. They have been replaced by Rowan Foley (Christchurch City Council) and Pierre Holland (CLM).

We will shortly be looking for another member to join us in 2024.

Pierre Holland Community Leisure Management

Alex Calwell Thrive Space & Places

Matthew Greenwood Waimakiriri District Council

Kirsty Knowles Community Leisure Management

Rowan Foley Christchurch City Council

Sarah Cresswell Wai Skills

Darryl Hamilton Auckland Council

Sink Your Jaws into This

At Waves 2022 we held a session where delegates were encouraged to engage in discussion about current issues in the aquatics sector. Three subject areas were covered, Lifeguard Training, Recruitment and Retention and Supervision and Pool Alone. Within each group three questions were posed to delegates. The responses have been collated below.

Supervision & Pool Alone

What strategies have you implemented around supervision at your facility and have these had an impact?

• Wristbands

• Electronic notice boards

• PA system

• Free lifejackets

• Contacts for unaccompanied under 14’s.

• Under 12 must have caregiver in the facility. Who has already raised their Pool Alone age above the current recommend 8 years?

Around 10% of the group had raised their ages from under 8 to under 10 or 12 years. Without comprehensive data around the ages of children being rescued at these facilities, it is difficult to determine whether raising the age has an effect of reducing rescues. What raising the supervision age can do is reduce behavioural issues connected with unsupervised over 8’s, thus allowing lifeguards to focus on their main role of supervision of the pools.

What are the implications to your facility, customers, and staff of raising the age nationally to 10 years?

Most would like national standard supervision age raised but understand that there are implications with changing rooms, updating signage, and creating a barrier to entry for some families.

Lifeguard Training

Do you have a stronger response or prevention focus in training? What would you need to change?

Overall, most training focuses on response and Normal Operating Procedures. Rescues and first aid being the most common topics for training. The current strain on staffing levels across aquatics nationwide is having an impact on quality and amount of training being delivered. The delegates felt there was a need to include the whole team in training such as the customer services staff and any Learn to Swim staff.

Other ideas included:

• Customer service response in an incident need to be trained alongside lifeguard response not separately.

• The use of senior lifeguards as mentors enables facilities to utilise in house experience.

• Create more fun and engaging training sessions.

• Look at outside providers and what they can offer.

• Train when facility is busy.

• More scenario-based training especially around customer service.

What does your training pathway look like and how do you include/record things outside the response elements?

Current training pathways look very similar across facilities. Lifeguards entering the role with PLPC and then moving through to senior lifeguards, team leader and then operations supervisor.

Facilities manage their training pathways in the following way:

• Soft skills are practiced and recording via mentoring.

• Preventative measures ticked off on shifts individually.

• Training is specific to need not one size fits all.

• Record all training in individual training records.

• Use outside agencies, PLPC, Skills Active, Gateway, water testing, and emergency management.

What are your strategies for evolving training to keep it challenging and fun?

• Scenario based training was popular.

• Group work, games based introducing some competition would keep training engaging and interactive sessions were thought to be more effective that classroom-based training.

• Open conversation with team, getting their ideas could be a great basis for planning training.

• Encapsulate all areas of facility for training as incidents don’t only happen in the pool.

• Collaboration with others for training particularly smaller facilities who would benefit from training alongside larger facilities and organisations in the region.

Lifeguard Recruitment and Retention

Where do you put most of your resources? Into recruitment or into retention?

The group agreed that whilst the obvious choice is to plough funds into recruitment in a bid to attract more people to roles, perhaps more focus is needed on what we are doing to retain the staff we have. Investing money into staff who are already trained and have experience is more cost effective than continually recruiting and training new staff.

Aquatics traditionally has a high staff turnover with the average lifeguard being under 23 and staying for around 2 years. The current narrative around lifeguarding is that it is just a fill in job while you are at school or university.

It is not seen as a legitimate career pathway. The industry needs to change this narrative and tell the story to illustrate the pathways and transferable skills that the aquatics sector offers. Collaboration could be useful in the form of interregional cooperation opening opportunities at other facilities.

What strategies do you have in place to manage recruitment and/or retention?

What has or hasn’t worked?

Retention

• Improving team culture within facilities and within the bigger team by creating more connect to councils.

• Creating a learning environment with pathways and mentoring.

• Investing in staff qualifications, across multiple roles to create a broader skill set and exposure to other areas of the recreation industry.

Recruitment

• Targeting of more mature lifeguard.

• Referral programmes.

• Tapping into current programmes such as squads and surf lifesaving, fun PLPC aligned sessions for kids – grow confidence and exposure…pool version of little nippers.

• Gateway schools programme and promotion of qualifications and career pathways available.

What external assistance, if any, do you need to help manage recruitment/retention problems and from who?

• National Organisation around Aquatics to start telling a more compelling story around the role and importance of lifeguards as first responders.

• More exposure via School’s and career expo’s

• Te Mahi Ako and Toi Mai to assist in raising the profile of industry qualifications, progression pathways and recognition of transferable skill.

Not Just a Lifeguard...

In addition to our annual summer supervision campaign we decided to look at what we could do to support our members around the current lifeguard recruitment and retention issue that is presenting a real challenge to the industry.

As a non-for-profit organisation we were not in a position to mount a nationwide recruitment campaign so instead we decided to focus on raising the profile of the lifeguarding role and highlighting the career and qualification pathways available in aquatics. We planned to run a social media campaign highlighting the role that lifeguards play in aquatic facilities and intersperse it with career profiles of current aquatics industry leaders who started as lifeguards.

The aim of the campaign was twofold, firstly to increase the profile of the role of lifeguard with the general public and secondly to showcase to current lifeguards the qualifications, skills and opportunities available to them in the aquatics sector.

We looked at the day-to-day role of lifeguards and split it up into the different tasks they are asked to perform. We took these and equated them to different professions.

• Emergency responder

• First Aider

• Chemist

• Engineer

• Educator

• Customer Service

• People Manager

• Community Support

These were then illustrated with photography of real time lifeguards performing these roles.

We communicated the campaign via our Facebook and Instagram platforms. We also made the imagery available on our website for facilities to create their own posters. Our total reach for this campaign was:

20,086

509 Engagement (Likes/Comments)

195

Reach Link Clicks from Social Posts

260

Website Page Views

Our most successful aquatics social media campaign to date.

In support of this campaign, we also produced a survey that was aimed at the lifeguards themselves, to find out what they really thought of the role and what could be improved. This was done in the form of an online 4-question anonymous survey which took less than a minute to compete. This was communicated to lifeguards via their managers and social media. We used a QR code on a poster so it could be displayed in staff rooms at facilities and was easy to access for staff.

We had 119 responses over 2 months. There were some interesting results with pay rates, professional development opportunities and being valued by management as the top three areas where improvements may encourage retention or recruitment. We have published some excerpts below. A full report is also available on our website and will be distributed to our 154 Poolsafe Facilities.

What do you love about your role? Tick all that apply.

What could be improved to make being a lifeguard even better?

How long have you been a lifeguard?

What hours do you work?

4+ years

<1 year 1-2 years

2-4 years

“Lifeguard qualification should be more comprehensive. It should cover topics of the role other than rescues, such as customer service, customer management, personal confrontation, incident prevention, water quality, cleaning standards”.

Part time

Casual

“Spending less time trying to micro manage from a distance and more time getting to know the staff and facility will give exponential payback instantly at every facility shifting to online management. Talk to your staff”.

Full time

The industry has very few opportunities for advancement and with our company, despite the risk/ level of care for emergencies and wellbeing of our customers, we are paid less than those in industries with less risk or qualifications. With some of the emergencies that we have had to deal with at our facility, minimum wage doesn’t work towards the emotional stress with dealing with those situations and, some days, it’s not even worth dealing with some of the rude customers. While our immediate management has our backs, it’s harder to garner support past our team leads for any actions, like repairs, wellbeing and safety”.

“Being a shift leader with past experience and many years as an aquatics manager, I am very skilled and motivated in my role. However with all the minimum wage increases I earn less that $30 more than the average pool crew member”.

“The pay is far too low for the level of responsibility that comes with the position”.

Quality Pool

Developed by Recreation Aotearoa in partnership with Water Safety New Zealand, QualityPool is targeted at private swimming pools such as holiday parks, gyms, retirement villages, seasonal pools, hotels and motels, and schools. It works as a self-review of an aquatic environment, benchmarking against specific standards the programme is conducted via a user-friendly online system.

The standards encompass risk assessment and management, pool water quality NZS5826:2010, supervision, emergency procedures, signage, and health and safety. The programme allows operators to review their pool(s) through one simple assessment system.

Currently there are 16 accredited QualityPools in New Zealand, including school pools, council paddling pools, and retirement village pools.

Resources and Research

Insights

Working with a network of thought leaders in the industry, the Recreation Aotearoa Insights Team have a programme of publications and case studies which pertain to our work in the recreation space. The following are the Insights relevant to aquatics:

Aquatic Facility Design in the 21st Century

Retrofitting Facilities

How’s Your Facility Performing? Youth & Wellbeing

Invisible Disabilities Equity & Leisure

Family Violence, Workplace Safety & Care

Older Adults & Recreation

Mental Wellbeing Mindsets

Recreation and disasters

Recruitment and Retention

Recreation and Climate Change