A Brief history of the New Zealand Pool Industry Associations

By Larry Ogden Dip Pool Tech (Hon) Cerified Bldr Lic#108/2024
Secretary 1992–2004 * President 2004-2008 * Chairman 2008-2014 * CEO 2014-2017 * Honorary Life Member 2008

The idea to form a New Zealand association of pool builders was first considered in 1975 when the rapid proliferation of Kiwi swimming pool builders in the 1970's made it obvious that performance guidelines and professional guidance was needed in such a new industry – and where better to look than our Aussie cousins? 

After meeting Ben Smith (CASPA Magazine publisher) and Noel Pearce (President of S.P.A.S.A. Victoria, I believe) at the 1976 Melbourne Pool Convention I invited these two gentlemento come to New Zealand as guest speakers at a meeting of interested pool builders to be held in Auckland. More than 100 people showed up. 

The Aussie's joint address to the Kiwi pool people was inspiring and well received, and spurred us into action on forming our own Trade organisation.

The more than a hundred people attending that meeting were impressed – builders and their wives, pool equipment and other industry associates, and it was unanimously agreed to form an association of Kiwi pool builders to be called the New Zealand Swimming Pool Association.

Interim convener Auckland Gunite pool builder Graham Doughty was supplemented at the first committee election by me and several others who I now can't recall, and I was elected and served as President for the first four years.

From 1976 until 1980 I was also the NZ delegate to C.A.S.P.A Ltd (Council of Australasian Pool Associations Limited) and travelled to Australia many times in this capacity, attending meetings that were instrumental in shaping the Australian (and New Zealand) swimming pool industry.   

By the late 1980's C.A.S.P.A had dissolved and the NZ Association (now the NZ Spa & Pool Association Inc) although funded primarily by a Builder's Bonding Scheme that I introduced in 1979, had become less relevant to pool builders as Voting Membership was opened up to Spa Pool manufacturers, Pool Shops, Pool Servicemen and Pool Refurbishment companies, and the Bonding Scheme was dropped by majority vote (of non-pool builder members) in favor of an Insurance Company indemnity scheme.

By 1992 the Association was struggling to keep Builder membership up and keep its head above water financially, as more & more claims on its Builder's Insurance Scheme drained resources as the Insurance scheme was found to be deficient.

There was a profound feeling amongst their Builder members that they had lost control of their Industry Association and many left the organisation.   By 1990, after serving four years as President, four years as Committee Member and six as a Bonded Builder Member, I also resigned from the Association in protest of the direction it had taken.  

Missing the benefits of belonging to a Trade organisation, two years later in 1992 I helped organise a meeting of similar minded pool builders to consider an alternative Pool Trade association.

From this meeting on August 19th 1992 a new trade organisation was formed with the initial name "The Auckland Pool Contractor's Association" and an advertisement placed in the Auckland Yellow Pages to attract members.

Some time later following this, for legal responsibility reasons of an association, it was recommended that "the person" not "the company" was the Member, and the name be changed to "Pool Guild" instead of "Pool Association". At the next General Meeting it was agreed to rename the association "The New Zealand Master Pool Builder's Guild", a name which was in use for sixteen years.  

Recently this has been modified to "New Zealand Master Pool Builders Inc." as legal incorporation as a society takes place this year.  

From small beginnings of six to eight pool regular builder members, we now ( in 2008) have more than 40 mixed memberships including Spa Pool manufacturers, Pool Shops and Servicemen – although the Rules ensure that the Builder Members hold the voting majority to avoid the problems with the previous "Pool Association". 

 We are keen to attract new members – especially rural builders – and as New Zealand moves towards Builder Licensing in 2011, I am confident that we will take full advantage of the (New Zealand Qualifications Authority recognised) Queensland NSPI Training Programs, am confident that we will take full advantage of the (New Zealand Qualifications Authority recognized) Queensland  N.S.P.I. training schemes which will facilitate our members passing the required qualification courses.

One thing is certain: we need to attract younger builders into the industry, by offering Certification or Qualification courses, as I look around our general meetings and see more old faces than young faces – a trend we seem to share with our Aussie cousins.   

Written in June 2008