Te Anau's pay-to-go toilets are now free to use, after the Southland District Council (SDC) voted on Wednesday (22 Nov) to scrap it's $1 user surcharge.

The decision will mean that the councils most expensive and only pay-to-go public ablution may ultimately become unmanned, with only showers still being charged for.

Built in 2010 for $800,000, the fully serviced council owned Lions Park facility was intended to pay for itself as it catered for a growing number of Milford Sound tourist buses.

However lower than expected patrons (average 33,500 + 4,000 (shower users) pa, 2011-2021) has seen the facility fail to meet the SDC's projected annual 200,000 target.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic further reduced patronage numbers and ultimately resulted in an average revenue for the facility, over its 13-years, of just $44,700 per year.

The monetary shortfall, ranging from $54,000 - 132,000 per year, has continually been met by district ratepayers.

Photo: Southland App

However an unmanned facility would see costs substantially reduced.

RD Petroleum Lakeside co-owner and Fiordland Community Board chair Diane Holmes said she was very happy with the council decision.

It was a topic she had campaigned on changing during the local body election, she said.

"Quite a few of the locals who had complained to me about their children, their 10 and 11 year olds not being able to go to the toilet, are very pleased."

Holmes said tourists didn't carry cash anymore and [until now] would end up walking the town in search of an ATM, or a free toilet.

Some would even sneak in to use local shop facilities or use the back of the toilet building or go in the Lions Park trees, she said.

"Tourists should be soaking in the views and atomsphere.... not spend[ing] their whole stop stressing about where to get relief."

Holmes expected that once some adjustments had been made, the facility would be open to the public from 8am till 8pm, with just short closures in the middle of the day for cleaning.

Te Anau currently has three council owned public toilets facilities and one privately owned toilet facility contracted to allow public access.