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Summarised by Centrist
A deadly landslide at Mount Maunganui has triggered an independent review and raised the prospect of an indefinite closure amid concerns over safety and public access.
The slip hit the Beachside Holiday Park at the base of the Mount about 9:30 am on Thursday, destroying campervans, tents, vehicles and an ablution block.
Six people were caught in the landslide. The operation has since moved into recovery mode, with officials saying it is highly unlikely anyone survived. Work has been halted multiple times due to renewed slip risk and heavy rain.
Tauranga City Council has ordered an independent review into the events leading up to the landslide.
Managed under a joint trust arrangement and visited by more than a million people each year, the Mount now faces longer-term decisions on safety and public access once search and recovery efforts conclude.
Mayor Mahé Drysdale said permanent closure was not the preferred outcome, but that public safety must come first.
“That would not be the outcome we sought,” Drysdale said. “But obviously, public safety is our number one concern.”
“We’ll certainly continue to work with iwi to find an outcome,” he said.
Ngāi Te Rangi have called for a full investigation into the cause of the landslide, saying significant work has been carried out on the Mount in recent years.
The iwi have imposed a rāhui over the mountain and say they want to work alongside authorities on any future rebuilding.
Elder Kehu Kehu Butler has called for the permanent closure of the Mount, while activist Buddy Mikaere said the issue of closure had been discussed previously but complicated by the site’s popularity, with partial or conditional track closures also canvassed.
The mountain remains closed to the public, with a wide cordon in place and nearby facilities evacuated as a precaution.
The council has said the independent review is expected to examine land stability, any warnings that may have existed, and actions taken prior to the landslide, alongside other formal processes that may follow.
Other early reports and online commentary have questioned whether recent joint land management decisions, including the removal of non-native trees, may have contributed to instability, though authorities have said no link has been established between those policies and the landslide.
Editor’s note: Some early commentary has framed the Mount Maunganui landslide as further evidence of climate change, despite authorities saying the cause has not yet been established.
While extreme weather is often cited following natural disasters, official investigations typically focus first on land stability, drainage, vegetation, and prior risk management decisions. The independent review may help clarify whether earlier interventions or warnings could have reduced the risk, or whether the event was unavoidable.
Image: Nick Herber
