Mt Maunganui landslide: Questions over Civil Defence alert as landslide risk not mentioned

Friday, 23 January 2026

Questions are being raised about why landslide risk wasn’t mentioned in a Civil Defence emergency cell phone alert to Bay of Plenty residents.

Six people - including a 15-year-old - remain unaccounted for after a slip that landed on Mt Maunganui’s Beachside Holiday Park on Thursday morning, and two bodies have been recovered from another slip in Welcome Bay Rd, Pāpāmoa.

Tauranga’s council had heard reports of a small slip at 5am, and several Mt Maunganui locals have reported further signs of activity before a larger chunk of the hillside came down at 9.30am Thursday.

That includes stories of chatting with campers who pointed out dirt and trees coming down the hill, and slips already forming in some areas before 7am.

However, a Bay of Plenty Civil Defence emergency alert from the day before the slip focussed on rising water, driving safely, and caring for pets and livestock.

Civil Defence has declined to comment while the response is underway, but a 2025 report to Tauranga’s council flagged that the Mount was vulnerable to slips triggered by heavy rain or earthquakes.

Waikato Times put a raft of questions to Bay of Plenty Civil Defence about why landslip risk wasn’t in Wednesday's alert, but a spokesperson said it would not be appropriate to make any further comment.

“Our focus remains on supporting the rescue effort and those affected, along with the emergency services and staff on the ground.”

Civil Defence said a full review will examine all actions taken, “once the response to this event is complete”.

Regular Mt Maunganui walker Colin McGonagle said he felt uneasy about the campground situation two hours before the major slip.

About 7.40am Thursday he chatted to campers about what he described as a wall of mud in the area, hearing how a pile of dirt and a tree had come down.

'I was talking with them and saying 'There's a lot of water coming out here, this isn't good',“ McGonagle said.

People could walk through freely at this stage, he said.

'I'm no engineer and I certainly don't understand the geographical, geology of the mountain, but things were moving.'

A report by consultants WSP for Tauranga City Council found that Mauao, the mountain, is vulnerable to slips triggered by heavy rain or earthquakes.

The report, released in July 2025, found Mauao experienced at least eight landslides during an intense rainfall event in January 2011 associated with Cyclone Wilma.

“These failures were triggered by elevated pore water pressures resulting from the heavy rainfall,” the report said.

WSP said the steep slopes, which contain volcanic rock, could slip again during big storms or earthquakes.

“These zones are vulnerable to rockfalls and shallow landslides, particularly during periods of intense rainfall or seismic activity.”

It also said shaking can weaken slopes, “increasing the risk of delayed landslides” in future earthquakes or heavy rainfall.

A couple holidaying in the Mt Maunganui area told the Waikato Times they got an alert on their phones about heavy rain, but questioned the amount of warning, in particular whether slips had been flagged as a risk.

Although not staying at the campsite, they were shocked by what happened.

One of them had been for a walk on Mount Maunganui, close to where the slip later occurred, and questioned whether the paths should have been closed to the public earlier.

The other had felt it 'seemed dicey' due to the weather and stayed away.

Another woman, who declined to be named, said she’d planned to go for a walk about 7am Thursday.

“They were just closing it off when I went to go up,” she said.

A man showed her a video of slips that were already forming, she said.

But Dave Harkness, a resident who lives inside the cordon, questioned the need to predict such events.

“It's very easy to say everything after the event, isn't it,” he said.

Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale was asked on Friday about reports of an earlier slip at 5am.

“Our indicative answer is we’ve heard there was possibly a small slip where people did move away from the site,” he said.

'There is a lot of questions to be answered and we are determined to answer those questions.

'We'll go through a proper process, it will be public. That we answer all those questions and understand how we've got to the situation we've got to now.'

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there will be a post-event review into what happened.

Massey University’s Lauren Vinnell said the slip underlines the need for ongoing preparation for landslides.

“Landslides are common across New Zealand but can happen quickly and cause considerable damage,” Vinnell said.

Warning signs include falling rocks, ground cracks or bulges, and doors or windows that stick.

University of Auckland applied geology professor Martin Brook said the rainfall seen in parts of the North Island exceeds the threshold to trigger landslides.

Brook said regions, including the Bay of Plenty are prone to “shallow rainfall-triggered landslides after intense rainfall”.

“The water weakens the surface soils and underlying highly weathered rock, causing shallow landslides to occur,” he said.

Past landslides often leave visible signs, meaning rural landowners are usually aware of the hazard, he said.

“Landslides can also occur in steep road cuts so are visible to people, and impact traffic via road closures.”