Help save 70 years of summers —
and put your name in front of every family in the district.
Anchor a local institution and get sustained, high-quality community exposure across the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons.
70
Years serving the district
135+
Keys sold every season
Every
School day, every Cust kid
2
Seasons of signage
A 70-year-old institution needs your help
The Cust Community Pool has been a fixture of life in this district for seven decades. It's where Cust kids learn to swim, where the school does its swimming lessons every summer, and where local families spend their hot afternoons. It is, quite genuinely, the heart of summer in Cust.
In 2026, the pool faces its biggest test since it was built. A long-running leak has reached the point where the council requires it fixed before the pool can reopen. The repair — relining the pool, replacing the skimmers and pipework, and bringing the whole facility back up to standard — is a $108,000 project. The committee has reserves, but we need the community — including local businesses — to help bridge the gap.
This is a one-off opportunity to anchor a local institution and get sustained, high-quality community exposure in return.
In 1945, Wally Allen and a small Bath Committee started fundraising to give Cust a pool. It took ten years, hand-mixed concrete and a lot of donated labour. In December 1955 it opened — and 70 years on, it's still the heart of summer here.
Right now, it needs the community to step up one more time.
What we're asking
We're inviting local businesses to come on board as corporate sponsors of the Cust Pool. There's one straightforward sponsorship package — signage at the pool, your logo on the website, and acknowledgement on our social media — and we'd love you to put forward a contribution that works for your business.
Prefer to contribute in-kind — goods, services, a prize for the silent auction? We're happy to talk about that too.
What every sponsor receives
Sponsorship is for two full seasons: 2026/27 and 2027/28. That's two summers of exposure, plus the full duration of the fundraising campaign building up to reopening.
Signage at the pool
Your branded sign displayed prominently on the pool fence/wall for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons — in front of every visitor, every day, all summer.
Logo on the website
Your logo and link on custpool.co.nz on a permanent sponsors page, plus the homepage acknowledgement strip.
Social media recognition
A dedicated thank-you post on the pool's Facebook and Mandeville / Oxford community pages, plus inclusion in the regular fundraising updates that reach 400+ households.
Promotional material
Acknowledgement on all fundraising collateral — quiz night programme, raffle materials, newsletter, posters and printed flyers — for the duration of the campaign.
Public thank you
Named as a sponsor at the pub quiz night (Wednesday 4 August) and in any media coverage we secure with local press and community pages.
Industry exclusivity (optional)
If you'd like to be the only business in your category (e.g. only real estate agent, only sparky, only contractor), talk to us — we're happy to arrange that.
Who you'll reach
Cust is a tight-knit community — and the pool sits right at the centre of it. Sponsorship doesn't just put your name on a sign; it puts you in front of the entire district, across multiple channels, all summer long.
Pool keyholders
135+ keys sold per season — typically families, so well over 400 individual swimmers across the summer.
Cust Primary School
Every child at the school uses the pool during term-time swimming — plus teachers, parent helpers and whānau.
Community email list
~400–500 households on the pool's mailing list, reached multiple times across the campaign.
Facebook & community pages
Mandeville, Oxford and Cust community pages — collective reach in the thousands per post.
Quiz night attendees
Targeting a full house at the Cust Pub on Wednesday 4 August — community members, sponsors and supporters in one room.
Press & media
Active outreach to North Canterbury News and community papers as the campaign builds.
Beyond the numbers, there's the goodwill dividend. Backing the Cust Pool is the kind of community contribution local customers notice and remember — particularly in trades, real estate, services and anywhere word-of-mouth matters.
Why now matters
This isn't a routine fundraising drive. The pool is currently closed pending repairs. Without the funds raised this winter, it won't reopen for the 2026/27 season — the first time in 70 years it would sit empty over summer.
Every sponsor we lock in over the next 6–8 weeks lets us:
- →Place firm orders with contractors so works can start as soon as possible.
- →Show grant funders that the community is actively backing the repair (which materially improves grant outcomes).
- →Keep momentum going across the rest of the campaign — quiz night, raffle, silent auction.
The earlier you come on board, the longer your name is in front of the community, and the bigger a role you play in actually getting the pool back open.
A note on tax
The Cust Pool Committee is an incorporated society, not a registered charity, so contributions are not tax-deductible as donations. However, sponsorship payments that include marketing benefits (signage, logo placement, promotional acknowledgement) are typically treated as a legitimate business marketing expense. We recommend you confirm the treatment with your accountant.
Tell us you're in
Fill in the form below and we'll come back to you within a week to confirm the package, talk through artwork and placement, and lock in your spot. Prefer to email? Send us a note at custpool@gmail.com.
Questions? Email us at custpool@gmail.com.
Seventy years of summers depend on what this community does in the next few months. Thank you for considering being part of the next chapter.
— The Cust Pool Fundraising Committee