Mount Maunganui landslide: Mauao must ultimately be reopened to the people – Editorial
THE FACTS
Mount Maunganui’s mighty Mauao and its campground have been a part of life for countless people spanning many generations.
Mauao is the 232m-high icon that sits majestically at the end of the narrow Mount peninsula, looking over the community, beach, ocean and harbour.
The name means “caught by the dawn” and it is the sacred tūpuna maunga (ancestral mountain) of Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Ranginui and Te Arawa iwi Waitaha.
It’s popular too. About a million people walk up or around it each year, and it is an important part of life for many locals, visitors, walkers and runners. It has significant spiritual and cultural meaning for people.
The campground that sits at its base has been a holiday haven since the 1930s. Many people will have fond memories of staying there in tents, caravans or cabins, especially during summer holidays.
It’s an idyllic spot, just metres from the award-winning Mount main beach, hot pools and nearby cafes and shops.
Then the tragedy of January 22, 2026, happened.
The massive landslide that crashed down on to the holiday campground and into the hot pools area at about 9.30am took six lives and shattered many more.
It was a dark day for Tauranga. More than five hours earlier, in nearby Pāpāmoa, two people lost their lives in another landslip.
At the Mount, the tragedy sparked a massive response from witnesses, emergency services, search and rescue, contractors and others. For days, emergency workers worked tirelessly, carefully trying to find the victims.
Those workers and heroes deserve the highest praise because they had the hardest of jobs. They operated in dangerous, difficult and emotionally draining conditions to return the victims to their loved ones.
It was also a time when leadership came to the fore, and some of those leaders quoted in the media and whose faces we saw on camera also deserve praise.
Many members of the public also showed their support by turning out to volunteer, paying their respects, offering food and supporting the families and those on the front line.
Businesses also stepped up by offering free food or fundraising. That community spirit shone through.
Now that the victims have been recovered, attention is rightly turning to the inquiry phase.
Tauranga City Council, which operates the campground and jointly manages the iwi-owned Mauao, has faced scrutiny over why the area was not evacuated earlier.
It met on Monday and voted to appoint an external person to carry out an organisational review into the systems, processes and decision-making that led up to the disaster.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has raised the prospect of an independent government inquiry, and this needs to happen, despite any council review.
Police are supporting the coronial process and WorkSafe, which is also investigating.
These inquiries must be given all the resources they need and be fully independent and transparent. Hard questions need asking and answering. Families and the community deserve nothing less.
It is also natural to think about the area’s future and there will be a variety of opinions on what should happen.
One of the first questions is whether the campground should reopen. This needs a careful look, and there will be a strong argument that, despite its popularity and history, it should be closed.
Would it be in bad taste to reopen it, and what of future landslips and associated risks? Ideas to replace it include a reserve or much-needed car parking.
It seems more plausible to imagine the hot pools could be restored and reopened one day. There would be less disruption, compared with the campground, if it were to temporarily close at short notice to mitigate weather risks.
Whatever happens, there must be a suitable memorial honouring the victims.
But what of the mountain itself?
Local iwi own Mauao, and the Mauao Trust and Tauranga City Council jointly manage it under the direction of the Ngā Poutiriao ō Mauao (the Mauao Joint Administration Board).
Mauao remains closed, and there is a rāhui over parts of the surrounding area.
The council says it will work with the Mauao Trust on a plan to assess the damage and see what reopening Mauao looks like.
Access to Mauao is important for people, their wellbeing, the community and the local economy.
January 22 was a tragedy, and nothing can compare to the grief the victims’ families and loved ones are enduring.
Both the maunga and its community also need time to heal.
In time, however, when there has been healing and the safety risks have been adequately addressed, it must reopen and resume its place in community life.