Overview
- All personnel were pulled from the Beachside Holiday Park site at 11:50 a.m. Sunday after geotechnical experts detected a new crack and deemed the hillside unsafe.
- Authorities are bringing in specialized monitoring equipment and will make daily geotechnical assessments before deciding when recovery can resume.
- The operation shifted from rescue to recovery after human remains were located, with police naming six unaccounted-for victims including two 15-year-olds and a 20-year-old Swedish national.
- Weather and terrain continue to complicate the scene, with a partial slip reported Friday and ongoing risks prompting exclusion zones and strict safety controls.
- Tauranga’s mayor has signaled an independent review into decisions preceding the slips, which occurred during severe storms that also killed two people in a separate Welcome Bay/Pāpāmoa landslide.