A man ban at one of Hamilton’s public pools is in the works to lure more women into the water, but critics have slammed the idea as “separatist thinking”.
Under a proposal being worked on by city council staff, men could be excluded from the Gallagher Aquatic Centre during twice-weekly women-only swimming sessions.
The initiative is tipped to be launched in June.
A women-only programme was piloted at the aquatic centre last year but was canned after swimming numbers dropped away.
Council swimming and recreation manager Mathew Bayliss said staff were still assessing public demand for the proposal.
“We’re confident if we relaunch this programme it will be successful as we will be proactively pitching it to the community,” Bayliss said.
The women-only sessions could be up to 90 minutes long - during which time men would be banned from the aquatic centre.
The programme could also be introduced at Waterworld’s hydrotherapy pool if there was sufficient demand, and reflected council’s desire to be “as inclusive as possible”, Bayliss said.
“One group we would like to involve in the proposed sessions would be women who have been displaced from war-torn or developing countries, where they simply have not had the chance to swim safely or even had access to a pool.
“We believe there is a demand, particularly among ethnic communities.”
Eighty-one people drowned in New Zealand in 2013, with male fatalities outnumbering female three to one.
Swimming Waikato executive officer Craig Scott said any initiative that got people swimming should be encouraged but the council had to be sure there was a demand for women-only sessions.
“I suppose the balance the council has to find is meeting the needs of specific constituents while not detracting from the needs of the wider community,” Scott said.
“Excluding 100 people so that 10 people can swim is not really serving the needs of the community. The key part of this is there has to be a demand for it.”
Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand spokesperson Anjum Rahman believed there was a demand for a women-only swimming programme in Hamilton, especially among young Muslim women.
Rahman, a Hamilton resident, said community feedback showed some Muslim girls did not feel comfortable with mixed swimming classes at school.
“For women and girls who wear head scarves and loose clothing . . . they certainly wouldn’t be going swimming in tight fitting clothing that showed their body shape if there were men there,” she said.
“But it’s not just our community who would be interested in a women-only programme, I’m sure there’s a range of women who would be keen.”
Hamilton Residents and Ratepayers Association president Rod Bowman said the proposal was concerning and represented “separatist thinking”.
Excluding ratepayers from public facilities based on their gender was “political correctness going too far”.
“If we are going to do this for women, what about all the shy men among us. Can we have a couple of hours free from women?”
New Zealand Human Rights Commission spokesperson Christine Ammunson said without knowing the details of the women-only initiative, she could not say if it breached the Human Rights Act.
The act does not apply to private activities or functions that take place outside normal business hours, she said.
Bayliss said a women-only swimming programme had successfully operated in South Auckland for the past five years.
Reaction from patrons visiting Gallagher Aquatic Centre yesterday was mixed to the council proposal.
Mary Ann Joll, who was at the pools supervising her grandson, did not see the merits of excluding men from a public facility in order to cater for “a particular group”.
Another women, who gave her name as Mel, thought the initiative would encourage body-conscious women into the water.
“I don’t swim at the pools because I don’t want to be seen in togs. But if I knew I could come down here and there would only be women here then that would make a big difference to me.”
Lifeguard Pauline Bourdin said a women-only pool session in January attracted 60 swimmers of various abilities.
She believed the council proposal would be popular if it was promoted correctly and would appeal to the city’s Muslim community.
“Water safety and water confidence are huge issues and I think this initiative could be really positive,” Bourdin said.
DROWNING STATS 2013
ETHNICITY
Asian 8
Maori 15
NZ European 26
Other 3
Pacific Peoples 4
Unknown 25
Total 81
GENDER
Female 19
Male 62
Total 81
SOURCE: Water Safety New Zealand