Fees row sees school axe swim lessons

A Tauranga school principal is on a crusade to achieve affordable swimming for youngsters.

Greenpark School principal Graeme Lind said 720 students would miss out on their annual two-week swimming block this year because fees had more than doubled.

Greenpark School has stopped swimming for the first time in more than 50 years, after they got a shock when their fees to use Greerton Aquatic Centre doubled from $10 to $22 per child, for a two-week swimming block.

However, acting Chairman on the board for Tauranga City Aquatics Limited (TCAL), David Stewart, said TCAL's prices had not changed since 2008, except for the $80 full pool hire fee, which gives exclusive use, and should have been charged to Greenpark School previously but wasn't.

It was an oversight by previous management company LeisureCo for that one school for one year, he said.

Lind disputes this. He says the school has never hired the whole facility. It paid a lane hireage fee and had a negotiated package with LeisureCo, which included free use of the learner pool.

Leisure Co also allowed them the facility for free for school swimming sports and Western Bay school swimming sports, which TCAL charges for.

TCAL took over management of the facility after the demise of LeisureCo last year.