Tauranga City Deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout has praised the local community following the disappearance of Jack Dixon, and says he is heartened by the region's response in what is a 'tragic” time for the family.

With search efforts continuing around Mount Maunganui for the five-year-old, who was swept into the sea on the northern side of Mount Maunganui on Wednesday, community support and goodwill continues to pour in.

Tauranga City Deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout.

As well as overwhelming support for the family, which has included two candle light vigils, search and rescuers have been backed to the hilt, with plates of food continuously being left at the Mount Surf Club.

And the message from the Mayor's office is that the city will look to learn from the tragedy in the future.

Council chiefs are keen to meet with police, surf lifesaving clubs and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council once the search has concluded to discuss ways to mitigate any future risks in such exceptional circumstances.

And though their plans are at a very early stage, Kelvin believes a central forecast where tides can be analysed would be beneficial, with Wednesday's king tide and 3-4m swells highlighting the need for such scrutiny.

'The process needs to be looked at where the Mount is not closed off completely from the public given its significant foot traffic,” he says.

'There may well be some sort of forecast set up and a protocol which would inform us to make decisions on closing parts of the beach off.

'These would be quiet significant decisions because we don't want affect people's recreational rights.”

It is thought that certain areas could be roped off and restrictions put in place according to weather conditions.

As police look to scale back the operation from today, the situation will be reassessed on a daily basis in order to try and reunite Jack with his family.

And while the search continues, a ‘helps us find Jack Dixon' Givealittle page created 24-hours ago has soared past its $5,000 target, with over $26,400 raised as of 4.30pm today.

Jack's parents have pledged to give a portion of the money donated by the community to Surf Life Saving.