Staff shortages had contributed to reduced opening hours on the weekends, with the pools closing at 4:00pm, rather than 6:00pm. It had also lead to some short notice closures that had caused disruption for customers.

After reading a news article about some of the challenges that Makino had been dealing with, Tom Mann from CLM’s Support Office in Auckland, reached out to see if The Lido Aquatic Centre had the ability to assist the Makino.

The agreement will enable the Makino to utilise staff from The Lido Aquatic Centre on an as needed basis following the agreement and payment will only be made when staff are utilised. The agreement came into effect on Monday, 3 July.

Manawatū District Council’s Community Services Manager Adie Johansen says that finding a solution for the staff shortages was a top priority for the Makino and Council teams.

“We’d heard from residents how the reduced hours was impacting them and we were determined to  restore the hours to normal as soon as possible. We’re incredibly grateful to CLM and The Lido Aquatic Centre for their assistance and this agreement will ensure that residents can have confidence that staff shortages will be less of a factor moving forward,” says Adie.

The closing time on Saturday and Sunday will revert to 6:00pm as of Saturday, 8 July.