Pool Safety

The splashing of kids playing in the pool, while the adults cook on the barbecue and wait patiently for their turn at cooling off, all the while reminding the little ones "don't run!" these are the sounds of summer but remind us that the joys of owning a pool come with a responsibility too.

Accidents around the home from slipping and accidental drowning in residential pools are the most needless of events and with some good products and prudent planning, they can be minimised or eliminated completely.


New Zealand Pool Fence Regulations have been in place for a number of years and have been very successful in reducing the number of child fatalities from drowning.

There's a wide range of fencing options for pool owners and, over the years, a market leader has emerged that provides safety for your family alongside quality of design.

The Magnalatch covers all the safety requirements required by New Zealand Pool Fence Regulations, while going further with quality materials and simple design. Made from hi-tech engineered polymers and quality stainless steel components, the magnetic safety latch comes with a lifetime warranty to give you piece of mind that your kids are safe. It is also lockable by key.

The magnetic safety latch has a self-closing function with absolutely no resistance to closing and uses 'closed' as its default position. The latch needs to be opened by pulling on a knob at the top the magnetic shaft, approximately 1500mm high out of reach of young kids.

If you are fencing a pool please follow these NZ Pool Fence Regulations:


• Minimum height from ground to top of fence: 1200mm.
• Maximum gap between bars or under fence: 100mm.
• Gate must be self closing and self locking.
• Gate latch knob must be positioned min. 1500mm from ground.
• Gate(s) must open outwards from pool area.
• Check with your local council for other requirements to make your pool safe.

Children are only 100% safe around the pool when supervised by an adult.

There are many options for securing your pool fence and gate on display at your local Mitre 10 store. However, the success of the magnetic safety latch has to be taken into account and is well worth the price, whatever your budget is. Installation is easy and you can mount the safety latch onto almost any material with the most basic tool kit.

Once you are in the pool area, there is another risk to safety and it is why we are always telling our kids not to run. The combination of pool coping edges and hard, wet surfaces means injury from slipping is a real hazard.


Premier Pavers have come to the rescue with a range of textured products. The 'Milano' range of pavers go as far as exceeding the New Zealand Slip Co-efficiency (the rating which indicates the amount of force required to slip in wet and dry conditions) requirements, which are only usually required for public spaces. This means that you can achieve the highest available quality of safety around your pool.

The biggest problem with choosing a surfacing product has often been the inability to find a material that is slip resistant, comes with a matching bull nose for the pool edge and a matching garden edge paver that would enable you to coordinate your entire landscaping design.

Premier Pavers has taken care of that with style and coordination to suit everyone. With sizes ranging from 600x600mm, 600x300mm and 600x150mm through to 450x450mm and 300x300mm, the design combinations are varied.

In addition to slip resistance, the quality manufacturing process means these pavers have a low porosity and good resistance to mould and algae. Although still requiring a sealer to complete the job, there is an additional benefit in using an anti-slip sealer to further enhance safety.


If you are the proud owner of a pool, make sure your family, friends or even an unknown children wandering through your section, do not become the victim of a preventable tragedy. Talk to the team at Mitre 10 and put you pool safety plan into practice.