The Tauranga mayor said any decisions on the land immediately surrounding the fatal Mount Maunganui landslide will be months away, but feels it is unlikely that the area will remain a campsite in the future.
Six people died after a section of the maunga collapsed into a campground during the extreme weather event two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, Mayor Mahé Drysdale announced that Tauranga is moving to a “transition period” for a month, focusing on assessing damage and making plans for what reopening Mauao looks like.
The mayor said any decisions on the future of the land surrounding the landslide will require conversations with iwi, communities, and people closely affected by the tragedy.
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“We’ve got a number of conversations to have with the families of those that lost loved ones, because we also want to be respectful and understand what they’d like to see,
“I think I can probably confidently say we don’t have a campground where the slip happened, we got to make some decisions around what we do with that land and how we remember this very tragic event.”
Access to Mauao is restricted, and cordons remain along parts of Marine Parade and Adams Ave, as geotechnical experts assess conditions.
Drysdale said the current focus is to mitigate risks around the Mount Maunganui landslip, so that businesses nearby can open before the Waitangi weekend.
He said three businesses remain closed on Adams Ave, but he’s hopeful that they can safely open by Friday.
Drysdale said shipping containers have been put in as a precaution, and more work will be done on Thursday to stabilise the land.
“By putting these mitigations in place, and this is always subject to geotechnical advice, we’re confident that we can make it safe enough that we’re happy to open that,” he said.
Drysdale said businesses have had a hard time since the tragedy, and he hopes that visitors can still come and support them during the Waitangi weekend.
“We hope that people still come down to the area and support these businesses; this was a natural disaster and no doing of themselves, but they have been caught in the crossfire, so we’re doing what we can to support them.”
- RNZ
4 comments
Respectful approach needed
Posted on 05-02-2026 14:28 | By WestieMum
Our beloved maunga has changed forever, and I'm sure the whole community mourns for it, as well as for the families that lost loved ones. So many people wanting to blame someone, but it would be more productive to ask "why" it happened and learn from it so their loss isn't in vain. A lot of talk around the future access to Mauao, and the future of the campground, and clubrooms, but there's not been any mention (that I've seen anyway) on the future of the hot pools. I know it's all part and parcel of the whole area, but I've not heard them mentioned. It would be such a shame if we lost all of it, and I hope there is a way it can all continue, combined with the respect for the victims and their families.
Mount camp ground site to be a memorial park.
Posted on 05-02-2026 15:00 | By Rosieterry
I agree that the holiday park site is likely to be unsuitable for overnight use in the future. I would like to see it become a memorial park to those who died and a place where friends and family and the public can go to remember them. And perhaps the hotwater spring can be piped to a more suitable location.
Campsite
Posted on 05-02-2026 17:54 | By Cap'n Cray
Such a beautiful and valuable location.
I'm sure decisions wont be made until cause is established and acted upon but let's hope common sense is seen in this.
History
Posted on 06-02-2026 14:14 | By rogue
History says there's been a heap of big slips over the years on the Mount.
Just throw up some Retaining walls, backfill it with the dirt from the airport.
Get the surf club, hotpools & campground open again.
If we shut down every site below a hill there'll be nothing left.
Just make sure a memorial is put in a well used , visual sight for reflection.
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