The OUSA Executive are asking students whether there should be a student discount at Moana Pool - but the discount already exists.
The question will go to students as question six in the OUSA Referendum this week, from 15 to 17 September. OUSA Finance and Strategy Officer Josh Meikle pointed out that the question was submitted by a student, rather than the Exec. He said that “[u]pon investigating this question we discovered that there are student rates in some areas, but not across the board.”
The discounted concession rate at Moana Pool is available to students, a spokesperson for the Dunedin City Council (who run the pool) confirmed. That discount can be used on casual visits to the pool, the gym and its classes, and even the hydro slide. A discounted multi-visit pass to the pool or gym, which runs for months, is also available to students.
The OUSA referendum question will ask whether “OUSA [should] lobby the DCC for a student concession and casual rate at Moana Pool”. Josh said that this “relates to lobbying for further student discounts on top of those already available”.
Jack, a student and avid swimmer, said “I’d always take cheaper but I suspect [the pool are] already doing a fair bit to give students a discount”. He said that the year-long student discount, in particular, was “very worthwhile if you are going at least once or twice a week” and that the pool even “extended it this year for Covid”.
“I would say it’s quite reasonable, especially relative to normal prices,” he said.
“While potentially marginal, further discounts would reflect the diversity of ways that students use Moana pool,” said Josh Meikle. They would also “ensure that students that visit the pool in different ways to those already discounted would be able to receive a student discount as well.” It is unclear what different ways to visit Moana Pool could be included in the discount, but hey, cheaper is always better.