Recovery resumes at Mount Maunganui landslide amid calls for answers
Monday, 26 January 2026
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell is keeping a close eye on the inquiry launched by the Tauranga City Council into the Mount Maunganui slip, but has no plans at this stage to elevate the inquiry to a government level.
The recovery operation for the bodies of the six people missing at the Mount Maunganui campsite resumed on Monday after it was halted due to safety fears on Sunday.
The Tauranga City Council launched an independent review last week into “the facts and events leading up to the landslide”.
Asked on Monday if an inquiry at a local government level was sufficient, Mitchell said there would be ongoing discussions.
“The main thing is to satisfy the family and the community and the country that it is an independent review, and that they can answer the questions, look into the questions that obviously have come out of the event.
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“From central government perspective, we want to make sure, particularly with the families, that they've got absolute confidence that that is an independent review and the way that is set up.
“So we'll make sure that we work closely with local government to ensure that the families have got full confidence and the public as well.”
There was no thought “at this stage” of it widening to a government inquiry, he said, “because it's in the very early stages”.
“The one thing that everyone agrees with is, let's expedite it, and let's get things moving.”
A range of inquiries can be triggered ‒ from a non-statutory ministerial inquiry all the way to a Royal Commission which investigates the most serious matters.
If the current inquiry was enough, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said additional powers would be opened by central government supporting any review or inquiry.
“I don't want it to be a political football, and therefore I hope that the central government, through the minister, will work with the council to make sure that there is a very rigorous and thorough inquiry, but one that's done in a timely fashion.
“It certainly needs to be independent, and it needs to have the powers of inquiry to allow it to get to the bottom of whatever they may find.”
RNZ also reports that WorkSafe is expected to look into the organisations that had a duty of care for everyone at the Mt Maunganui holiday park, but for now the priority is on the recovery efforts.
When asked if it would be extraordinary for an investigation not to be launched given six people were presumed dead, its head of inspectorate Rob Pope told RNZ's Midday Report, he agreed.