A man leading the charge to revive the popular Dunedin physiotherapy pool says he has been waiting for two years to hear from Health New Zealand about his proposal. John Bezett, who is leading a group of trustees calling for the pool to be re-opened after being shut for five years, said he had made several approaches to the government health body for a lease agreement but so far his response “appears to have been ignored”. The pool was closed in May 2021 due to a heating failure. “This was the region’s only therapeutic swimming pool, and served over 40,000 individuals a year. “The rehabilitative properties of this pool were incalculable.”He had already presented a copy of the business case to HNZ officials. © Allied MediaJohn Bezzett is asking for the old physio pool in central Dunedin to be reopened. Photo: Gregor Richardson But the trust was waiting for a lease agreement from HNZ to move forward on their plans. “Until we get that lease, there is not much we can do. “We've been trying for well over two years now to get a lease: Health New Zealand have the authority to say yes or no to it. “The Health New Zealand offices in Dunedin and, indeed, in Christchurch have all been very supportive. But we’re still waiting.” Mr Bezett said once they got the 10-year lease agreement, the trust would start its fundraising campaign. “I just want some communication. Why can't we get a lease for a pool that you're not going to use for anything else?” He estimated the project would cost more than $2 million, but said he already had several interested parties lined up, and believed everything could be ready “from go to woah” in about two years. In the meantime, he said the pool’s lack of use was a “disgrace”. “We've had people, women's groups in particular, use this pool instead of Moana Pool. "Religious groups like the Muslim women, women who are pregnant, don't like to show their body in public. They want to come in here.They won't go up to Moana pool. "Yet swimming is the best possible recuperation for them. So this [closed pool] has just been a total waste for all those years. “So many people have been without any sort of form of aquatic recreation or aquatic recuperation.” He wanted the pool to be available for people from 6am to 10pm daily. “We'll work out sessions for people who can't afford it. Sessions for people who can afford it. Sessions for people who really need it. “It'll be open for the general public. If people want to train for triathlons or anything like that at all, they'll be able to come in and use it. And there'll be specific times for them to do that.” [Missing Credit]The Physio Pool. Photo: Gregor Richardson Mr Bezett said the physio pool, which was heated to about 35°C year-round, “saved lives”. "People who are overweight, grossly overweight . . they get in there, and they have never been better off in their lives. They do get fit. They start losing weight. That keeps them alive.” HNZ Southern director of operations Craig Ashton said he “recognised and appreciated” the engagement shown by advocates of the Dunedin Physio Pool. “We remain in contact with the Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust and are aware of its work to identify potential funding opportunities to upgrade and revive the pool. “We are continuing to explore next steps for the future of the physio pool site as part of the broader new Dunedin hospital precinct development. “We remain committed to keeping the trust informed on future plans for the facility.” The Physiotherapy Pool building at Hanover St has received a Category II Heritage New Zealand ranking to mark its significance as the site of the first pool of its kind in the country. It was built in 1946 to much acclaim, including from Dunedin’s Evening Star, which said the new facility was “one of the finest of the structures of its kind in the southern hemisphere”.
