Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says the city has entered a new chapter on how it delivers major projects, with the reset of the Memorial Park Aquatic Centre project a perfect example.
“We are determined to drive better value-for-money and positive outcomes for the people of Tauranga across all projects that Tauranga City Council is delivering,” says Mahé.
A budget of $123.4 million was set aside for a new indoor and outdoor aquatic centre at Memorial Park as part of the Commission-led 2024-34 Long-term Plan. Around that time, the old Warehouse building at 483 Cameron Road was purchased to convert to the new four indoor court facility, Haumaru, because early investigations indicated that the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre (QEYC) and Memorial Hall would need to be demolished.
Before committing to proceeding with the Aquatic Centre in October last year, the then newly-elected Council paused it while more information and community feedback was sought.
Having considered other design options and feedback, the Mayor and Councillors earlier this month confirmed a new direction that will see a redesigned Aquatic Centre built on the site of the existing Memorial Pool, with the QEYC and Memorial Hall to be kept operational until 2041.
“The new direction for the Memorial Park Aquatic Centre, and other projects in the pipeline that we are scrutinising, reflects our Council’s commitment to stop unnecessary spending and focus on smart, cost-efficient and community-focused solutions.”
An overview of what was spent on the Memorial Park Aquatic Centre project between July 2021 and October 2024 shows $4.7 million in costs. This covered aspects such as a business case analysis, concept and developed designs, engineering and contractor costs and geothermal and geotechnical investigations, along with legal and staff costs.
“Our Council was surprised and disappointed by how much had been spent on the Memorial Park project leading up to the election of the Council last year and our subsequent pausing of the project. Having looked at alternative options, I am confident the new direction will deliver a much-needed community facility at much better value to the ratepayer.”
Mahé says the reset of the project also responds to the need to retain important community spaces like the QEYC and Memorial Hall and make the most of the assets that we already have, with the change in approach delivering three additional courts to the network and a pool facility for less that the originally budgeted cost.
“The $4.7million spent so far is a lot of money. However, it’s expected that some of the work done to-date will still be useful,” Mahé says. “Depending on the final scope of the project, a portion of the costs associated with foundation design, selection of pool tanks, mechanical and electrical design will still be applicable to the new facility, so we’re not starting from scratch - we’re building on what’s already been done and doing it smarter.
“Despite the spending so far, the change in approach we are taking is expected to result in a significant saving overall.
“By shifting back to the old pool site and keeping the QEYC and Memorial Hall open, we’ve saved $2.4 million in demolition costs. We’ve also retained three desperately-needed indoor courts in the network for the next 16 years at minimal cost to ratepayers and those savings are a direct result of changing our approach.”
In keeping with the Council’s commitment to transparency, following is a breakdown of the costs to date. The spreadsheet of individual supplier costs is also available on Tauranga City Council’s website.
Memorial Park Aquatics Facility
Total Costs Incurred FY 2022 to FY 2025
| Operational Costs |
Amount |
| Concept Design/Architectural (incl Landscaping) |
362,604 |
| Concept Engineering |
734,768 |
| Business Case/Analysis |
199,669 |
| Project Management |
126,547 |
| QEYC Concept Design |
44,000 |
| Feasibility Study |
29,926 |
| Quantity Surveyors |
46,778 |
| Legal |
22,822 |
| Other |
82,457 |
| Total Operational Costs |
1,649,571 |
| Capital Costs |
Amount |
| Detailed/Developed Design/Architectural (incl Landscaping) |
714,919 |
| Engineering |
1,407,094 |
| Project Management |
135,736 |
| Quantity Surveyors |
90,961 |
| Legal |
152,785 |
| Geotechnical/Geothermal |
307,174 |
| TCC Staff Costs |
200,149 |
| Other |
109,014 |
| Total Capital Costs |
3,117,832 |
| |
4,767,403 |
Mahé says a Project Steering Group, including Councillors, will guide the next stage of design development for the Aquatic Centre.
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.
“We have taken into consideration where the project is at now, and we are confident that we can deliver a facility that serves our community’s needs for tens of millions of dollars less than was budgeted. That is a win for everybody.
“We have also heard that Tauranga needs a 50-metre pool for competitive sports. However, Memorial Park is not the ideal location for this. If we can save costs in delivering this facility, a 50-metre pool facility at another location, and other priority projects will become affordable sooner.”
Mahé acknowledges past concerns about Council spending, saying the Council is now focused on delivering projects differently — with greater transparency, accountability and cost-efficiency.
“We are confident that the changes we’re making will bring greater financial rigour and more discipline to our project management processes and will ensure ratepayers’ money is well-spent.
“There are some projects we won’t be able to influence as much as the Aquatic Centre, due to where they’re at in the delivery cycle, but we will continue to look for efficiencies wherever we can.
“We won’t solve our issues without change or making some tough calls and we make no apology for that. It’s our job as Elected Members to deliver value for our people. Some projects may be delayed, or even cancelled, if they can’t deliver real value for money.
“We do not want to see money wasted and we are excited about how we can deliver more for less. The Memorial Park Aquatic Centre will be the first major project delivered under the new project delivery guidelines.”
| Image caption | Memorial Park |