Operated by a Northern Southland Community Pool Trust made up of dedicated locals, the pool is shared by the town’s primary and secondary schools, which have almost 300 students between them. And, in the warmer months, local families can purchase a key to use the pool at their leisure.
“We’ve worked pretty hard to keep the costs down,” says Dale, who is hopeful the energy credits will allow the trust to extend the swimming season to 150 days per year.
While Meridian’s White Hill Wind Farm Power Up fund has contributed to the pool’s upkeep for well over a decade, a $115,000 grant from Meridian’s Decarbonisation Fund was a game-changer.
“It would have taken us years to be able to raise that sort of money,” says Dale. “We’ve been talking about these things for a while and it was part of the plan for the next three or four years. Without the Decarb Fund grant we would likely have only gone with a heat pump. The grant allowed us to do the whole project and speed it up by 18 months to two years.”
Meridian’s Community Decarbonisation Fund is both simple and complicated.
The simple version is that the credits generated by commercial users of Meridian’s Certified Renewable Energy generation are allocated to community projects to help them operate with net zero carbon emissions.
For projects to be eligible for funding they must:
- result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- be an electrification project or lead to the creation of new renewable generation
- contribute directly to communities across Aotearoa
- or be one that either wouldn’t have occurred without the funding or occur sooner because of the funding.
Lumsden’s community pool upgrade ticked all those boxes.
“We understand how important it is for all New Zealanders to be able to access safe, well-run swimming pools,” says Meridian community engagement manager Mel Schauer.
“Community pools are often at the heart of small communities. They’re a place where people connect, have fun and learn essential water skills for life, which is vital in a country full of beautiful lakes, canals, rivers and coastlines.”
Having a pool that delivers all of that with a minimal environmental impact is the icing on the cake, says Dale.
“Seeing kids in the pool in their own recreational time, or at school is pretty cool. And knowing that we’re playing our part to help New Zealand reach net zero is great. We’re very thankful to Meridian for their support.”
So far, Meridian’s community decarb initiative has contributed over $1 million to 14 projects nationwide, preventing over 1700 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
“As New Zealand’s largest renewable electricity generator, our goal is to help Aotearoa become a vibrant contributor to a net-zero world,” says Mel.
“And we’re so proud that this initiative helps community groups to expand their impactful work while at the same time reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a real win-win.”
