Potty Talk: The top four disabled toilets in Kirikiriroa

Everyone does it: King Charles (thanks for the day off!) … Louise Upston … Lydia Ko. Going to the toilet is not the most sexy topic in the world, hence the euphemisms we use. 

“Spending a penny,” “Answering the call of nature,” or simply “Going to the bathroom.” And this very American idiom I found in my research: “Taking the browns to the superbowl!” However we express it, toileting is an activity that unites all of us. When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go!

Like pretty much all of the towns and cities around the motu, Hamilton has accessible toilets but are they practical for all who need them?

My mate Ollie Goulden says it depends where you go. “They’re usually fine. Some locations are too small. My manual chair is much smaller, but when I’m in my power chair I can struggle with some bathrooms.”

As a wheelchair user who can’t transfer to a toilet, for me, going to the loo isn’t as straightforward as finding an accessible toilet at the local shopping centre. They are there, but often not practical for me only containing a toilet and a basin — plus a hand dryer — and very little more space than a standard toilet cubicle. Personally, I need a larger facility with a hoist. Thankfully, in recent years, Hamilton and the Waikato region have set the standard for access to disability bathrooms including Changing Places rooms.

According to wheelchair user Asher Lewis: “Changing Places aren't a luxury, they're a necessity.” Most of the changing rooms I have reviewed are spacious, cheerful and bright spaces. They are often situated in busy places where other facilities are located and are part of the experience. Here’s my run down on the facilities in my region.

#4: Space for Change Te Awa at the Base

It’s great that a shopping centre has a changing room and this is perfectly usable. It was a little hard to locate but is situated by the Hoyts movie theatre on level two. Signage could be clearer and I only found out about it recently through EGL connector, Maioro Barton, although I have visited Te Awa for years. It does have what you would expect from a changing room - change table and hoist, for example, but the layout, e.g. space for support workers on either side of the toilet, could be a little better. To access this facility, you need to press a button for security and they will remotely give you access.

#3: Changing Places, Hamilton Gardens

This botanical themed bathroom is situated within the magnificent Hamilton Gardens, adjacent to the children’s playground at Gate 1. Bright and cheerful, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the gardens themselves. They are a short walk from the cafe (another one of my grazing stops. As you’ll find out, food is a favourite theme of mine and features in most of my reviews!), and the newly revamped information centre.

Not only can you enjoy the gardens, (although there is a charge if you are not a resident of Hamilton City) you can also enjoy summer events such as Gourmet in the Gardens. The Waikato Connect-ability coffee group meets here monthly at the cafe, to connect people with disabilities. You can find this group on their Facebook page under Waikato Connect-Ability. To gain access to the changing room, you’ll need a Changing Places fob to gain access. You can get this by registering online. There is a charge of $150 which will enable you to access all Changing Places facilities for life.

#2: Te Kete Aronui Rototuna Library Changing Places

What’s not to love about this changing room which is part of the Te Kete Rototuna library complex? Not only is the changing room practical and spacious, but it is beautiful as well. The walls are adorned with lovely murals and artwork of books and reading, reflecting its location.

But wait, there’s more! Situated just inside the door of Te Kete Aronui is a delightful cafe called Chapter One in keeping with the library theme. This is also a Changing Places facility. So, two of my favourite activities under one roof - reading books and eating food!

#1: Waihī Beach Changing Facilities

This accessible changing room can be found at the Waihī Beach Surf Club. This enables wheelchair users to have a whole experience: it starts when you are greeted by the magnificent view down the beach, where you can see waves lapping at the shore, or like the day in autumn that I visited, smashing on the shoreline. A blue beach mat stretches down to the beach, so you can wheel right onto the beach without having to have a special beach buggy. You are able to borrow a beach wheelchair from Tasman Holiday Park, located at 15 Beach Road Waihī Beach. A helpful tip is to reserve your beach wheelchair.

In terms of the changing room itself, you need to register first to get a 4-digit access code which is then your unique code, this can be found on the Live Well Waihī Beach Accessibility page. You then have to type your unique access code into the keypad which is located on the doors to access the facility and then you're able to go to the loo.

Opened in March 2026, this is the most recent changing room and is the result of a lot of hard mahi by Waihī locals to not only provide this facility, but also to make the beach more accessible for wheelchair users. The actual changing room is very well set up for all access needs and the change table can go up and down depending on your support worker’s height. The hoist in the changing room can move all around the room. This means you can be hoisted on to the toilet or use a change table if that's what you require.

There is also a shower next to the change table so that rather than having to have the discomfort and annoyance of sand everywhere, instead, you can have a shower before getting changed to wash off all the sand after your brilliant day at the beach.

As a very new changing room, there’s further work planned to paint murals with a beach theme to enhance it through colour. In the summer, a Parafed Waikato event is held at Waihī Beach for people wanting to do adaptive surfing. I've done it and highly recommend it. And to top it all off, the surf club has a lift to take you up to the cafe for refreshments.

So, the advent of spacious disabled toilets and changing rooms is improving the ability for the disabled community to go out and about in this region without the fear of having to cut short days out because we have been caught short. Hopefully other regions are doing the same!

Matty Bauernfeind is part of our Community Reporters Programme for 2026. This programme supports The D*List's commitment to nurturing the next generation of disabled storytellers in Aotearoa. You can read more about our Community Reporters Programme here.