Invercargill’s Splash Palace has been forced to unexpectedly close its pools three times more often than hoped across a recent 12-month period.

However, the number of faecal and vomiting incidents were trending in the right direction.

A report for the city council’s finance and policy committee revealed 47 unplanned pool closures occurred for the year ended June 2026 — an average of almost one closure per week — which was well above a target of under 15 closures.

Council group manager Rex Capil noted the reported numbers typically related to individual pools and not a full closure of Splash Palace, with exceptions being plant failure and a severe weather event last year.

The 47 closures equated to around 230 hours of lost pool time.

“Code browns” have been an issue at the facility, but Mr Capil said faecal and vomiting incidents had decreased for the first half of 2026, compared to the previous six months.

Such incidents generally required pool closures of between one to three hours, he said.

“Faecal or vomiting incidents are a common challenge at all aquatic facilities, particularly in pools used by babies and young children."

The council was planning to review its policy on swim nappies and signage explaining the policy could also be on the cards.

Unplanned pool closures were included as one of seven KPIs for council aquatic services, missing its target alongside resident satisfaction and two metrics for annual user numbers.

Satisfaction missed its 75% target by 2%, despite increasing 8% from the previous year.

Targets the council did manage to hit included water standards, “learn to swim” participation and public lane availability.

In May, councillors decided against progressing with a 10% increase to fees at Splash Palace.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.