Tauranga mayor supports government inquiry into landslip, but pushing ahead with own review

Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says there is a 'strong case' for an independent Government inquiry into the fatal landslide in Mount Maunganui, though a decision is yet to be made.

Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drasdale says he supports a Government inquiry into the fatal Mount Maunganui landslide, but confirmed the council will nevertheless push ahead with its own inquiry.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said at a press conference on Tuesday there was a “strong case' for an independent Government inquiry into last Thursday’s incident.

“There are many questions being asked, including whether there was a missed opportunity to evacuate people sooner,” he said.

Luxon added that the families of the six people who died in the landslide deserved answers and that the Government would be talking to Tauranga City Council about an inquiry.

“Establishing the facts is not only what the families of those who lost their lives deserve, it’s also important in helping us to ensure lessons are learned to prevent similar tragedies occurring elsewhere in the future,” he said.

Luxon said he will be collating advice on whether such an inquiry is needed and could not offer a timeframe for when an inquiry would take place.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Drysdale said he would work with the Government on any inquiry, but that the council was currently exploring options for its own review into the incident.

“[There are a] number of questions and facts that we need to reveal and make sure everyone is aware of what happened,” he said.

The Tauranga District Council had already announced its own independent enquiry, but the Prime Minister says there's a potential conflict given they own the campground.

“We will continue to work with the Government and ensure that we don’t duplicate each other's processes too much,” he said.

Drysdale said they will aim to have answers about what happened within a maximum of six months and will release as much information as possible to the public before any review takes place.

He said all relevant matters relating to the lead-up to the event will be considered as part of their review.

The detailed scope, timeframes and personnel involved in this independent review process are currently being worked through and will be communicated publicly as soon as they are finalised, Drysdale said.

Luxon acknowledged on Tuesday that his request for advice on a possible inquiry reflected concern about the council’s actions on the day of the slip.

Aerial image of the Mount Maunganui campground landslide scene.

“It’s very early days, but I think we owe it to the families to make sure there’s an independent inquiry that they have confidence in, and actually taking that out of the confines of the council, I think would be smart.”

Meanwhile, cordons around the landslide site are set to be “taken back” in the next few days.

Flowers near the cordon of the site of the landslip.

Drysdale said the council will be working with police on this, adding that it was important to start supporting local businesses and get them back up and running “as best we can”.

He thanked local businesses impacted by the cordons, calling it a “very tough time” and “unexpected” event.

A community gathering is also set to be held on Thursday evening in Mount Maunganui to mark a week since the incident and give the community a chance to grieve.

Six people are presumed dead as a result of the landslide that came down on the Mount Maunganui campground.

Efforts to recover those people are still ongoing, with Drysdale saying the operation was expected to take “multiple days into weeks”.