Students, staff, and parents alike were all thrilled to learn that the NZCT has awarded Mamaku School $50,000 for construction of a new swimming pool. Over 1,000 residents in Mamaku village and in rural houses (some of whom do not own cars) will soon be able to walk to the complex, while other schools, iwi, and whanau will also be invited to use the facility.
School principal Gary Veysi says, “When the local community was surveyed about wanting a swimming pool complex, 98% responded ‘yes’ to using the complex provided the pool is inside and heated. Our goal is to improve the quality of water skills, using up to twenty staff members and community trained volunteers. We will sell keys at minimal cost to cover running costs, which will be much less expensive (in terms of both time and money) than having to travel 25 km into town to go for a swim.”
“This generous grant will allow us to run the pool every day from 6 AM - 8 PM. It will also involve installing solar panels to power a heat pump to get water temperature up to 27-30 degrees, compared to only 12-16 degrees at the moment, so swimmers will be able to swim more laps and the season can last longer. The solar panels will also enable storage of energy to run the new pumps and filters, keeping costs down and reducing energy needs.”