Pool owners pay attention: legal requirements are changing

In late October the Government passed an improved law to help better protect children around swimming pools. The law change introduces pool inspections to ensure compliance with the law, as well as new requirements on pool and spa pool fencing. 

The Building (Pools) Amendment Bill will take effect on 1 January 2017, which is less than two months away, and we’re here to help you understand what you need to do to keep within the law this summer. 

What’s changed about pool safety?

Since the first law change in 1987 that required swimming pools to be fenced there’s been little enforcement of the law. There’s currently no requirement to regularly inspect swimming pools and check their safety, but of those pools that have been inspected 50 percent failed. 

This meant that even though pools may have been fenced, the fences weren’t of a high enough standard to reduce the risk of drowning for children. The new law aims to reduce pool drowning by an extra six children per decade by introducing pool inspections and adjusting fencing rules – but what does this mean for you?

Pool fencing adjustments

Firstly you will no longer need to have four sides of a pool fenced if children can’t access it from all angles. This means an infinity pool wouldn’t need to be fenced on all sides and neither would a pool that’s next to a cliff of 20 metres or more.  

Additionally, if you have a garden pool or drainage pond, the law has excluded these from the new fencing laws.

Another adjustment to the law is that you no longer need to have automatically locking gates. Instead, gates or doors with alarms that don’t automatically lock are also allowed. So if you have an older family and you’re looking at upgrading your pool fencing then alarmed gates could be the way to go. 

All pools are subject to compliance checks

Secondly, from January 2017 all pool owners will become subject to an external swimming pool inspection and certification every three years. If your pool doesn’t comply during inspection then you could be issued with either a notice to fix or an infringement notice. 

These inspections have been introduced to reduce the amount of pool owners who have broken gates, unmaintained fences, or other changes that mean children can access the area. 

It’s important to take the time now to look at your current fencing situation and get it up to scratch, that way you’ll be ready for inspection as well as for extensive use over the upcoming summer months.

Spa pool regulation adjustments

Finally, more than 100,000 kiwis have a spa pool at home, and the good news for you is that it no longer needs to be fenced. Instead, all hot tubs and spa pools need lockable covers to restrict access to children and pools need to be at least 76cm above ground.

How we can help

If it’s time to update your pool fencing then drop into your local Mitre 10 or Mitre 10 MEGA for some friendly advice and also check out our Easy As guides for fences, gates and gate springs. Our stores also offer a range of pool toys, cleaning tools and pool chemicals to cover all your summer fun requirements. 

And next time you’re heading down to your local Mitre 10 MEGA think about getting your pool or spa water tested to make sure it’s ready for use. Simply bring a sample of your pool or spa water in store and we’ll digitally test it for free.