A deadly landslide struck Mount Maunganui in Tauranga on 22 January, killing six people as debris buried parts of a popular campground. A report issued nearly seven months earlier warned of a high risk to human life if the area was affected by such an event, but the report was never read by the relevant decision-makers. The Tauranga City Council confirmed that the report, which was included in an August 2025 agenda, was never acted upon due to a cancelled meeting. The council’s internal review, led by retired High Court Justice Paul Davison, concluded that the risk was identified, documented, and passed around internally, but ultimately ignored. The report, titled Rock Stability Monitoring, was prepared by experts and highlighted the potential for landslides on Mount Maunganui, particularly near the campground. It was included in an agenda for a meeting involving Ngā Poutiriao ō Mauao and the Mauao Trust, bodies responsible for managing the area. Despite the report being circulated, the meeting was called off, likely due to concerns about attendance. As a result, none of the councillors who would have been present had the opportunity to review the findings. The council’s chief executive, Marty Grenfell, later stated that no senior staff members had seen the report, claiming it remained at an “operational level” and was never escalated to higher management. According to the council’s own records, the report was part of a broader geo-hazard assessment conducted in June 2025. The document was sent alongside the August meeting agenda, but the cancellation meant it was effectively ignored. The council acknowledged that the report cost more than $12,000 to produce. A spokesperson explained that the meeting was postponed due to uncertainty about how many councillors could attend, though it was unclear why the session was never rescheduled. Grenfell emphasized that the council’s systems did not flag the report as requiring urgent attention, and thus, no action was taken. The failure to address the risk has sparked outrage among locals and advocacy groups. Erika Harvey, a spokesperson for the community group Lobby for Good, condemned the lack of accountability. She argued that the council had not only failed to act on the report but had also shown a disregard for public safety. “How do you think the families feel now?” she asked. “Not only did they know, not only could they have prevented it, but actually nobody actually cared to read it.” Harvey criticized the council’s leadership, noting that its chief executive earns over $600,000 annually, more than the prime minister, and questioned whether such compensation justified the lack of oversight. The incident has drawn comparisons to the 2011 collapse of the CTV Building in Christchurch, which killed 18 people during an earthquake. Maan Alkaisi, a member of the CTV Families Group, pointed out that similar warnings had been ignored in that tragedy. He expressed frustration that, despite multiple investigations and recommendations following the CTV disaster, little had changed in local governance practices. “There were two reports explicitly highlighting a risk of collapse in case of earthquake,” he said, “and yet no action was taken.” Justice Davison’s internal inquiry into the Tauranga Council’s handling of the report found no individual to blame, instead pointing to a systemic breakdown. His report noted that the risk was identified, discussed, and shared, but it was never assigned responsibility or elevated to a level where meaningful action could occur. The failure, according to Davison, stemmed from a flawed process rather than malintent by any one person. The council faces mounting pressure to explain why the report was not acted upon and to hold those responsible accountable. Local residents and advocacy groups demand transparency and reforms to prevent future tragedies. With the anniversary of the landslide approaching, the focus will shift to whether the council will implement changes to its risk-assessment procedures and ensure that critical reports are properly reviewed and addressed. The outcome of these discussions will determine whether lessons from the past are finally applied, or if history repeats itself.
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