Celebrating the Opening of the Aquatic Facility in the Hutt Valley
The brand-new Te Ngaengae Pool and Fitness was officially opened to the public in Lower Hutt last week. Constructed by our Principal Partner, Apollo Projects, and with the support of our associate partners, it’s another impressive aquatic facility that has been tailored to suit the needs of the local community.
The Te Ngaengae Pool and Fitness facility has been a beating heart of the Naenae and Lower Hutt community. Within the new build on the existing site consists of a 10-lane 50m Olympic pool with moveable bulkheads, a leisure pool with a shallow section for family fun and a deeper section with ramp access and hydro jets plus two hydroslides, a splash pool, fitness centre and outdoor BBQ area.
Having always been the home of SwimZone Racing, the club is excited to return home and have already moved back in after the new build has been completed. Their Head Coach, Frank Tourelle, expressed the delight since the club has returned home.
“The new Te Ngaengae Pool is now open, and we are ecstatic to have our whole programme back together again at one venue, our traditional home-base for the club, in the heart of the Hutt Valley.”
Tourelle added that the club is looking to thrive after spending five years away during the new build.
“It has been decidedly challenging losing our old Naenae Olympic pool in April 2019, as our programme was decimated over those first 2-3 years as we transitioned into other smaller venues. We were exceptionally well looked after by the HCC pool management, but we were operating at only 60% of our usual capacity. We adapted, continued to remain positive and focussed and survived. Through hard work and planning we have been able to start rebuilding our operations and now we look forward to really getting going to restore the strength and pride that is a tradition of Aquatic Sports in Hutt Valley.”
The club celebrated returning to the facility with a SwimZone Racing Welcome Home Meet with nearly every member taking part, including many ex-club swimmers who returned for the occasion also.
Swimming Wellington's General Manager, Angus Pashley, is looking forward to seeing the facility in action over the coming months.
"It's brilliant to see Te Ngaengae open its doors, returning SwimZone Racing to their home, five years after the closure of the old pool. The facility will make a fantastic addition to our network of pools, and we are excited to host our first events there in 2025, welcoming clubs from around the region and Aotearoa."
Whilst it’s only been open a week, the facility has already started to be recognised for its quality. The New Zealand Green Building Council has awarded the facility a 5 Green Star rating for its environmentally sustainable design, the first aquatic facility in New Zealand to receive this prestigious recognition.
The facility was designed with a strong cultural connection, with the name Te Ngaengae proposed by Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa, and approved by the Hutt City Council, reflecting the original Māori name of the suburb and is a tribute to the rivers that shaped the land. The design of the building’s roof included a reimagined upturned waka, and the entrance features a roof canapy that appears as the bow of a waka supported by a 5.5m “pou whenua”, standing like Tāne, God of the forest.
Thanks to Apollo Projects and our associate partners Aotea Electric, Kingspan and Active Refrigeration, and the Hutt City Council, for providing our members and the wider community with an outstanding aquatic facility. If you’re in the neighbourhood, there is no better time to Unlock Your Greatness by getting active in the water at the Te Ngaengae Pool.
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