Wellington City Council
Captured
Q1: Do you provide communal single-sex changing and showering facilities?
The Council provides communal single-sex changing facilities but do not provide communal single sex showering facilities. The only communal shower facilities are outside the saunas at Freyberg Pool, Keith Spry Pool, and the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre, near the spa at Tawa Pool and at the end of the pool at Thorndon Pool. These are all cold showers and for use while wearing swimwear.
Q2: Do you provide single occupancy changing and showering facilities? If so, how many at each site?
Yes, the below information confirms the number of (combined) single occupancy changing and showering facilities: Freyberg Pool - one Karori Pool - two Keith Spry Pool - eight Tawa Pool - one Thorndon Pool - four Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre – sixteen Khandallah Pool does not have (combined) single occupancy changing and showering facilities.
Q3: Please provide any policies or procedures that apply to trans-identified people who wish to use the changing and showering facilities in your sites.
Accessible and Family Change Areas
When to use
Use this policy to support staff and customers regarding the use of our accessible and family changing room facilities.
Policy
All of pools have a mix of shared changing rooms and private changing rooms. Some of these will be specifically designed for accessibility or family changing needs. In addition, some sites will have self-contained change cubicles within a changing room or standalone gender-neutral self-contained cubicles.
The standalone accessible and family change rooms are suitable for use by all customers, however, are prioritised towards:
• people with disabilities - remember these may be non-visible
• caregivers who need to assist/manage school age children
• any person who needs assistance to change
• transgender and gender diverse customers
While our accessible and family changing rooms should be prioritised for the above users, they are not actively monitored. Staff must be mindful of the use of these spaces while monitoring the entire pool environment, to ensure the chance of potential incidents are minimised.
Any inappropriate use, e.g. excessive time spent in the changing rooms or issues that arise from people wanting to use the rooms, will be managed by staff with a conversation to determine the cause of the issue. Caregivers who have an older child of the opposite sex who needs assistance with changing should be encouraged to use standalone changing rooms.
Once changed, customers should take their belongings with them and place in the lockers provided.
Responsibility
• Duty Manager
• Lifeguards
• Facility in Charge
• Reception staff
Q4: How are your different changing and showering facilities labelled and described?
The following details how each facility labels and describes its changing and showering areas:
Karori Pool, Keith Spry Pool, Tawa Pool
• Wāhi tīni kākahu wāhine - Female changing rooms
• Wāhi tīni kākahu tāne - Male changing rooms
• Wāhi kākahu ā-whānau - Family changing room
• Wāhi tīni kākahu - Accessible changing room: People with disabilities and mobility problems rely on this accessible facility for their safety. Please limit your time in this changing room or use alternate facilities if available. If you hear a knock and/or are asked to leave please vacate the room as quickly as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.
Freyberg Pool
• Female Changing Rooms - Wāhi Wāhine
• Male Changing Rooms - Wāhi Tāne Khandallah Pool
• Womens Changing Room
• Mens Changing Room • Wāhine - Female
• Tāne - Male Thorndon Pool • Rūma tīni kākahu - Changing rooms
• Wāhi tīni kākahu wāhine - Female changing rooms
• Wāhi tīni kākahu tāne - Male changing rooms
• Tāuwhiuwhi me wharepaku – Shower and toilet
• Tāuwhiuwhi - Shower
Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre
• Female Changing Rooms - Wāhi Wāhine
• Male Changing Rooms - Wāhi Tāne
• Wāhi tīni kākahu wāhine - Female changing rooms
• Wāhi tīni kākahu tāne - Male changing rooms
• Wāhi kākahu ā-whānau - Family changing room
• Wāhi tīni kākahu - Accessible changing room
• Hydrotherapy Changing Rooms – Te Wāhi Tīni Kākahu, Hōpua Haumanu Wai
• Hydrotherapy Changing Room – These changing rooms are for customers who have used the hydrotherapy pool. Not every disability is visible, please respect other customers. Please be considerate of how long you shower, so everyone is able to enjoy hot water.
• Shower & Toilet
Q5: At your sites, which changing room and showering facilities is a trans-identified male permitted to use?
This is managed in a case-by-case basis, with the goal of making all customers feel safe and welcome. As noted in the Council’s ‘Pools – Accessible and Family Change Areas’ policy provided to you in response to question three, the standalone and accessible and family change rooms are suitable for use by all customers; transgender and gender diverse customers are one of the four customer groups that these rooms are prioritised towards.
Q6: If applicable, do your facilities allow trans-identifying males to attend Women Only swim sessions?
This is managed in a case-by-case basis. Our team is approachable and ready to support anyone with questions or concerns, and our priority is that all customers feel safe, comfortable, and welcome.
Our Verdict
Any policy that mentions "case by case" is not protecting women. This approach means that a woman has no way of knowing if and when there could be a male in the changing / showering space.