Diving into new Acceptable Solutions

Following the replacement of the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act with the Building (Pools) Amendment Act, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has published two new Acceptable Solutions

The Acceptable Solutions, published in late April, relate to Clause F9 ‘Means of restricting access to residential pools’. F9/AS1 relates generally to swimming pool barriers, with the new Act requiring that residential pools filled or partly filled with water to a depth of 400mm or more must have means of restricting access for children younger than five years old.

F9/AS1 states that fences surrounding pools should be at least 1,200mm high and have no openings that a 100mm diameter sphere could pass through. Any non-vertical rails, rods or wires forming a part of a pool barrier need to be spaced at least 900mm vertically apart to restrict climbing.

F9/AS1 also outlines separate criteria for barriers that form part of a property boundary, or barriers that form part of a building’s structure, such as walls and doors, as well as criteria for balconies overlooking pools.

The amendment act also stipulates that the installation of a barrier for residential pools requires a building consent.

F9/AS2 relates to covers that may be used on above ground small heated pools, defined as having a water surface area of 5m2 or smaller and with walls no higher than 760mm.

In addition to publishing the two Acceptable Solutions, MBIE also published guidance for Territorial Authorities, which are responsible for enforcing residential pool barrier requirements. For more information, visit the Safety of Users section of MBIE’s Building Performance website.