Water Safety NZ is calling for portable pools under 1.2ms to be withdrawn from sale.  It agrees with the coroner's recommendation that temporary pools 1.2ms and higher need to have a gated entry.

Since 2015, 54 children aged five and under have drowned in New Zealand – 19 of which were in pools.  But it was the summer of 2021 to 2022 which prompted an investigation by the coroner, when eight children under the age of six drowned. Two of the deaths occurred in portable pools.

I understand why people buy portable pools as they are great for the kids over summer and they don’t have the overheads of a permanent pool.  I have seen them on display in big box stores and seen the minimal warnings about safety. 

The coroner talked about permanently fencing the access ladders but there are other issues as well.  The in and out pipes for the water pump create foot holds for climbing and need to be covered.  I can see no way that these can ever be legal if the current F9 Acceptable Standards are applied. 

I also have sympathy to diligent pool owners who do everything to make their pools safe and next door is one of these inherently unsafe pools.

https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/03/26/calls-to-withdraw-some-smaller-portable-pools-from-sale/