Council is proposing to stop providing coaching services for the Swim Squad Programme by 28 June 2026. Swimming would then be treated like other sport that uses Council facilities in the district – Council would provide the venue, and clubs or organisations would manage coaching.

Council is considering this change, because:

1. This is the only sport that Council supports in providing coaching services, with other sports providing their own coaching services.
2. Attempts to agree on changing current responsibilities with the Ashburton Swim Team (AST) over recent years have not been successful.
3. The current programme has improved financially, but it still doesn't cover its full costs and requires ongoing ratepayer subsidy. It also relies on having enough number of swimmers to be sustainable.

For these reasons, we are proposing to exit the programme. If you wish to read the full Council report that lead to this proposed change, go to the related document section of this page.

EA Networks Centre is a great facility and with Council proposing to exit offering this service, there is an opportunity for another external provider to offer a competitive training programme for swimmers. If this didn't happen, swimmers would still be able to train at EA Networks Centre, although session frequency would reduce due to in-person coaching being delivered out of district.

We understand this is an important change for swimmers and families. Our goal is to help enable squad swimming to continue in Ashburton District (e.g. through negotiated lane hire fees), even if the way it is delivered changes.

This is your opportunity to have your say on the delivery of the Swim Squad Programme. We are accepting feedback until 13 February 2026.