Council pools and leisure centres play an important role for many in our towns and cities. Whether you’re a parent interacting with others at your children’s swimming class, water jogging with old and new friends, or new to a community and connecting with others through public programming, pools are community infrastructure for connection, care, collaboration and cohesion.

This is why when Auckland councillors were voting on whether or not to privatise the operations of 22 council pools and leisure centres, the local community and ActionStation responded.

Our communities know the impacts of privatisation. We know shifting the focus from providing a public good to making profit worsens conditions for workers. We know shifting accountability from people to shareholders leads to poorer quality services.

The Auckland community - union members, local groups and individuals - took a stand with councillors and local board members to drive home the importance of community facilities that serve the people and not private interests. The Ōtara Youth Hub gathered 962 submissions in just 24 hours to oppose any privatisation of their pools, while workers and delegates organised across sites to let their employer know the importance of maintaining public ownership. And in a truly people-powered win, the Council voted to keep Auckland pools and leisure centres in public hands!

People power, alongside good political leadership that advocates for communities, can win against attempts to privatise our public services and infrastructure. This win was a step into our collective power, toward a future where we put people and Papatūānuku over profits - and our collective services are resourced not just to run, but to thrive.