According to a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act response from Invercargill City Council, all residential pools were required to be on the council’s pool register and inspected every three years.
But the $245 price tag — which covers the inspection and administration — has tested the patience of some.
"Our main challenge is that people are not enthusiastic about having an inspection and do not want to pay for it," council manager planning and building services Anne Duncan said.
The total number of active pools on the council’s register was just 63, most of them spas.
In the past year, 24 pools were inspected, two of which failed.
It was the owner’s responsibility to regularly check the compliance of covers, locks, latches and fences.
At Southland District Council, the cost of a pool inspection was $225, with the number of inspections for the year to January 2025 totalling 81.
A lot of pool owners were unaware of requirements, and failed inspections were normally related to pool barriers, a spokesperson said.
"Most of the new pools added to our register are from our inspections within the district rather than people advising council they have a pool."
In the event of a failed inspection, of which there were 40 for the year to January 2025, next steps included advising the owner what was required, sending reminders, and issuing a notice to fix.
The council’s website said there were an estimated 60,000 in-ground swimming pools and 100,000 small, heated pools nationwide, "quite a few" of which were in the Southland district.
— Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter
— LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
