Pool entry requirements

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Lullapie

15 posts

Geek

#3402772 15-Aug-2025 11:14

wellygary:

Lullapie:

I saw the moat idea on Grand Designs - isn't it filled with water?

I'm guessing not, as it would then be a pool of its own (>400mm depth) - and you need a 1.2m wall against the pool

I've found another place in CHC that also has a "Ha ha" as a pool fence, so it does seem to be a thing... although it simply throws up the absurdity of H+S as you are apparently allowed to build a house with an unfenced 1.2 metre pit in your back yard,

(would it still be legal if you had punji stakes in it?? :) )

https://www.woodfordgrace.com/outside

Cheers - I know, the ambiguity of how things are 'policed' is incredible.

Attached is a link to a case where the pool was within in code, then the rules changed and it wasn't. The owners explained that all around their property were unfenced 'ponds' which posed a greater risk to safety. Council weren't interested. The Council had deep pockets and no conscience.

https://www.building.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/resolving-problems/determinations/2019/2019-026.pdf

Lullapie

15 posts

Geek

#3402774 15-Aug-2025 11:19

concordnz:

Could you use simply one of these, - like most office doors?

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/search/products?page=1&q=door+closer&sort=BoostOrder

That will probably be what we go with.

Disrespective

1929 posts

Uber Geek

#3402776 15-Aug-2025 11:22

That Woodford Grace house got me thinking. Sorry OP, I know this doesn’t answer your issue any more and I’m off topic.

It looks on google maps like the width of the trench varies from ~1.6m to ~2.4m and I think you could make that work in the current code, or at least close enough.

The important parts are

The pool wall is actually set above the grass line (in the photos it looks like about 120mm but if it was more then the trench gap can shrink more).
The fall from the grass into the trench is 1m or less, for a distance of 1.2m or more from the grass side wall. This is to satisfy a determination 2008/81 and subsequent ministry advice.
Then there is a step down in the trench (80mm high by 450mm wide) that allows the pool wall to rise 1.2m up to the top of the decking edge. This is to satisfy F9 in the NZBC.
And most critically that all the planting inside the trench is either growing outside of the 1.2m arc from the top of the pool edge, or able to be considered non ‘climbable’ to satisfy Figure 2 in F9. How one defines this is possibly up for argument.

Interestingly there may also be another way to achieve compliance with a similar look and narrower trench through another previous determination 2010/014 and a minor revision to the pool edge. Bottom pic.

YMMV on whether your council would approve either of the above. Anyway, sorry for the diversion.

Lullapie

15 posts

Geek

#3402777 15-Aug-2025 11:24

Disrespective:

That Woodford Grace house got me thinking. Sorry OP, I know this doesn’t answer your issue any more and I’m off topic.

It looks on google maps like the width of the trench varies from ~1.6m to ~2.4m and I think you could make that work in the current code, or at least close enough.

The important parts are

The pool wall is actually set above the grass line (in the photos it looks like about 120mm but if it was more then the trench gap can shrink more).
The fall from the grass into the trench is 1m or less, for a distance of 1.2m or more from the grass side wall. This is to satisfy a determination 2008/81 and subsequent ministry advice.
Then there is a step down in the trench (80mm high by 450mm wide) that allows the pool wall to rise 1.2m up to the top of the decking edge. This is to satisfy F9 in the NZBC.
And most critically that all the planting inside the trench is either growing outside of the 1.2m arc from the top of the pool edge, or able to be considered non ‘climbable’ to satisfy Figure 2 in F9. How one defines this is possibly up for argument.
Interestingly there may also be another way to achieve compliance with a similar look and narrower trench through another previous determination 2010/014 and a minor revision to the pool edge. Bottom pic.

YMMV on whether your council would approve either of the above. Anyway, sorry for the diversion.

Many thanks Disrespective. That's a brilliant post.

t0ny

396 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3402778 15-Aug-2025 11:33

I navigated through this with the council recently where we are using the building as a form of fencing to restrict access to the pool area. My solution was to the hardware from here: https://ahs.co.nz/pool-security-solutions/. Since i have a sliding door, i used the autoslide elite which restricts opening to 1M and auto closes/locks the door.

DM me if you need more info

Lullapie

15 posts

Geek

#3402779 15-Aug-2025 11:36

t0ny:

I navigated through this with the council recently where we are using the building as a form of fencing to restrict access to the pool area. My solution was to the hardware from here: https://ahs.co.nz/pool-security-solutions/. Since i have a sliding door, i used the autoslide elite which restricts opening to 1M and auto closes/locks the door.

DM me if you need more info

Cheers T0ny. I've been in touch with Brett, who has been really helpful.

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