Independent review finds Mount Maunganui landslide was preventable disaster caused by systemic failures
An independent inquiry into the January landslide that killed six people at a holiday park near Mount Maunganui found the tragedy was preventable and resulted from systemic organisational failures by…
A comprehensive independent review released on Wednesday into the fatal Mount Maunganui landslide found the council had multiple opportunities to prevent the disaster over several decades. The council had received warnings about landslide risks at the site for more than 20 years but failed to act on them, with critical information being received, filed, discussed and then left unaddressed. The report also detailed how one victim, a Morrinsville teacher, went to heroic lengths to warn fellow campers of the danger before she was killed. The findings have prompted calls for accountability, with questions raised about the future of senior council leadership.
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Coverage across the news outlets we track, as at publication.
What outlets are saying
Stuff
Lessons of deadly Mt Maunganui landslide set to be released
Independent review will examine the decisions, risk assessments and monitoring before the landslide that killed six people at the base of Mauao.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: Council to release external review findings
The council has called a media conference.
Newstalk ZB
Mount Maunganui landslide: Council to release external review findings
Findings of the first formal review into the Mount Maunganui landslide tragedy, which killed six holidaymakers in January, will be made public today.
1News
Watch live: Mt Maunganu landslide – council's inquiry results revealed
Tauranga City Council has investigated what happened around the landslip on January 22 which killed six people.
RNZ
Damning report into fatal Mount Maunganui landslide shows tragedy was preventable
A report into the fatal landslide in January says information identifying a risk to life was received, filed, discussed, forwarded – and then left.
Stuff
‘Systemic failure’ left six people dead in Mt Maunganui landslide
Tauranga City Council “missed several opportunities” in the 24 hours before a landslide came down at a holiday park by Mount Maunganui, killing six people, according to an independent review that was released on Wednesday.
1News
Watch live: ‘Preventable’ Mt Maunganui landslide ‘a systemic failure’
A retired judge has investigated what happened around the landslip on January 22 which killed six people.
1News
Mahe Drysdale on Mt Maunganui landslide – 'we should have done better'
A retired judge has investigated what happened around the landslip on January 22 which killed six people.
1News
'Heroic' teacher's final moments detailed in Mt Maunganui report
A Morrinsville teacher killed in the tragic campground landslide spent the morning trying to warn others, going to "heroic lengths to help those around her".
RNZ
Actions of Mount Maunganui landslide victim Lisa Maclennan, who helped save the lives of others, detailed in report
Lisa Maclennan and her husband Travis warned others at the campground of the potential for further landslips after their campervan was pushed forward by an earlier slip.
Newstalk ZB
Marty Grenfell: Tauranga City Council CEO on the failings identified in the report into the deadly Mount Maunganui landslide
A review into the fatal Mount Maunganui landslide has identified a lack of staff training in systemic Tauranga City Council shortcomings.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: Review reveals victim Lisa Maclennan’s final hours
Lisa Maclennan tried for hours to warn campers before the fatal slip.
Newstalk ZB
The Huddle: What did we make of the Mount Maunganui landslide review?
Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day – and more!
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: Review finds litany of failures
Mount Maunganui report finds warnings were missed and campers should have been evacuated.
RNZ
Inside the damning Mt Maunganui review and one victim's heroic actions
A new report describes how Morrinsville teacher Lisa Maclennan went to extraordinary lengths to warn and help fellow campers before she was killed.
RNZ
Fatal Mt Maunganui landslide still raw for resident who witnessed tragedy
"I shed tears when I remember back, of those people who lost their lives, that's the thing that stays with me," Colin McGonagle says.
RNZ
'There's been a slip': Inside the final hours before the fatal Mt Maunganui landslide
A new report describes how Morrinsville teacher Lisa Maclennan went to extraordinary lengths to warn and help fellow campers before she was killed.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: Davison report prompts calls for action, accountability
A review found the tragedy at Mount Maunganui was preventable.
Newstalk ZB
Sam Uffindell: Tauranga MP on the damning Mt Maunganui landslide review
Tauranga's MP says a question mark's hanging over the head of council's CEO, following the damning Mt Maunganui landslide review.
Newstalk ZB
Mount Maunganui landslide: Davison report prompts calls for action, accountability
Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell says a “huge question mark has to hang over” the future of the council’s chief executive in light of the review into the Mauao tragedy that claimed six lives.
1News
People wake to icy conditions, sub-zero temps across the country
The forecaster said minimum temperatures recorded since midnight were in the single digits for most.
Newstalk ZB
Mahé Drysdale: Tauranga Mayor on the review finding the deaths from the Mount Maunganui landslide were preventable
Tauranga's Mayor is pledging to ensure any warnings sent to the council around risk to life are escalated.
Stuff
‘Huge question mark’ over council CEO after damning report, MP says
Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell says the council needs to examine its personnel after a review found six deaths at the Mount Maunganui campsite were preventable.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: Business owners respond to council’s external review
A review found more than 20 years of known landslide risk at the campground.
Otago Daily Times
Fatal Mt Maunganui landslide still raw for witness
RNZ
Former Tauranga mayor says he wasn't warned about landslide risk amid damning review
It comes after a damning review found the council failed to act on several warnings over the course of 27 years about the risk of a slip on the nearby campground.
Stuff
'People feel gaslit': Why standard workplace perks fail severe burnout
Offering light fixes for ‘third-degree’ burnout does not work. Performance expert Nick Petrie on the physical reality of redlining at work.
RNZ
Fatal Mt Maunganui landslide: Minister to keep tabs on council after damning report
But Local Government Minister Simon Watts will not say if the chief executive at Tauranga City Council should be sacked.
Stuff
‘People cannot afford to live’: Anger boils over at Wellington water bill protest
The demonstration was organised by Stop Tiaki Wai, which was taking donations from protesters.
BusinessDesk
Kahl Betham, Gallagher Group CEO: ‘I genuinely care about people’
The BusinessDesk CEO Index , driven by Range Rover, has returned for its second year. Our newsroom and a panel of independent judges have hand-picked 24 New Zealand chief executives and business leaders making a real impact in their sectors…
The Spinoff
Meet 25 young people changing Aotearoa and the world
From actors to activists, scientists to storytellers, this year’s YWCA Y25 list celebrates some of Aotearoa’s most inspirational young people. Across Aotearoa, young women and gender-diverse people are doing extraordinary things. They’re leading climate action, championing Māori and Pacific communities,…
Stuff
No sign of survivors after plane carrying eight people crashes in Alaska
A small charter plane carrying eight people has crashed in a remote area of western Alaska.
BusinessDesk
TV's hottest genre is today's job market for young people
By Olivia Hau It’s a familiar story: a ragtag group of 20-somethings stumbles through personal and professional lives in a big city. It’s what turned How I Met Your Mother and Friends into generational successes.
Stuff
Sword-wielding attacker wounds several people at Swedish school
The attack took place at the Brinell School in the city of Fagersta, northwest of the capital, Stockholm, with no word on the motive.
Stuff
The 'painfully obvious' idea helping people with dementia feel at home
There are calls for more personalised “front doors” to be introduced into specialised dementia care homes.
NZ Herald
West Auckland crash: Two people seriously injured, man rescued from wrecked car
A bus is understood to have been involved in the collision.
Newstalk ZB
West Auckland crash: Two people seriously injured, man rescued from wrecked car
Two people have been seriously injured after a crash in West Auckland last night in which a man was rescued from a wrecked car.
Otago Daily Times
Albert Town fire: 'There were a lot of people quite terrified'
Stuff
Indonesian police arrest 72 people suspected of starting forest fires
Indonesian authorities arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the forest and peatland fires as huge blazes in central and west Indonesia triggered choking haze.
Otago Daily Times
Service offered for people struggling to understand ADHD/ASD
1News
Cannabis not 'safer' for younger people, linked to early psychosis
For many users, the psychiatric harms of cannabis are likely to outweigh any medical benefit.
RNZ
Plumber shortage: Not enough people in the pipeline to fill the gaps
Hundreds of plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying jobs will need to be filled in the next year as the workforce ages out or moves overseas.
Otago Daily Times
Three people rescued from second floor of burning Dunedin building
RNZ
Three people rescued from burning Dunedin building
A fire investigator is investigating the cause of the fire.
Stuff
US strikes a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months
The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out a strike on another vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of trafficking drugs in the first such attack announced in about two months.
The Spinoff
Dating Files: A Wellingtonian who keeps meeting people ‘about to leave the country’
‘ I hate that I twirl my hair and giggle a little more when they insist on paying.’ Want to be part of Dating Files? Fill out the questionnaire here . Age: 27 Gender: Female Sexuality: Bisexual Ethnicity: Pākehā Religion:…
Newstalk ZB
Enda Brady: UK correspondent on the vigil being held for people who killed two police officers in crash
A vigil for a high-profile crash that killed seven people, including two police officers, has copped some criticism.
RNZ
Man found guilty of threatening to kill people at two Auckland schools
Tiedan Huo has been found guilty of 12 charges of threatening Waiuku and Rutherford colleges and other public buildings.
NZ Herald
Man found guilty of threatening to kill people at two Auckland schools
The charges also covered threats to police stations and Parliament buildings.
Stuff
62 people took magic mushrooms inside an MRI. Here’s what happened to their brains
This natural substance promises to alleviate everything from anxiety to Alzheimer’s – but one graph reveals the reality beyond the hype.
1News
'Pigs out, people in' – feral animals ripping up native bush in Auckland ranges
Waitakere ward councillor Ken Turner said the pig population had grown into a "huge" problem in the past 18 months, pointing the finger at his own council.
Stuff
Watch: Who are these ‘mole people’ climbing out of New York’s sewers?
They appear in the middle of the night, wearing headlamps and waterproof gear, climbing from manholes before disappearing into the streets. New York has dubbed them the “mole people”, but what are they actually doing underground?
Otago Daily Times
Two people seriously hurt in Allanton crash
Stuff
‘Anger is a real emotion’: Business defends letting people throw glass at politicians’ photos
The owner of Rage Cage in Christchurch said, “I’d rather they bottle them on the wall than, God forbid, anyone bottles them in the street.”
Stuff
‘People like her are thin on the ground’: NZ’s own country star on the life of Dolly Parton
Tami Neilson says her career would not have existed in a world without Dolly Parton.
1News
Dolly Parton's philanthropy based on 'her belief in the goodness of people'
“I think it’s important for everyone to do their share to help their fellow man,” the late country star said.
Otago Daily Times
Investigation into gravel road crash that injured nine people
Otago Daily Times
Dunedin awards celebrate people protecting native species, tackling waste and restoring wildlife
Otago Daily Times
People missed out on benefit payments after second MSD error
NZ Herald
People miss out on benefit payments after second MSD error
Some beneficiaries missed payments after rushed law changes overwhelmed MSD.
Otago Daily Times
Giving our young people a voice to shape their future
Otago Daily Times
The people behind the daffodil: a Wānaka family’s cancer story
Otago Daily Times
Mauao landslide report reveals decades of ignored warnings behind fatal disaster
An independent report into the Mauao landslide disaster which identified it was preventable disaster shows the natural consequence of how our society treats risk Simon Connell writes.
Stuff
People from more than 30 countries are missing after the flash floods in Nepal and China
Catastrophic flash floods in a border area of China and Nepal have killed at least 359 people and left more than 1,400 people missing as of Thursday. Many were foreigners in the area for trekking, guided tours or a pilgrimage…
RNZ
Combat sports offer young people opportunities 'we didn't have, Northern Marianas fighter says
Kelvin "The Big Hit" Fitial, 42, shared his thoughts after his first-round knock-out win over an American opponent at a bare knuckle competition in California.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: CTV victim’s husband calls for Tauranga council oversight
Professor urges independent oversight of Tauranga council after the damning slip review.
RNZ
People freed after spending day stuck between slips on State Highway 6
The occupants of the two cars are in "good spirits", NZTA says, and one of them passed the time by watching Lord of the Rings.
RNZ
Multiple cars damaged, two people injured on rural road near Auckland's Pukekohe
One person is in critical condition and another is in serious condition, police say.
The Spinoff
Noelle McCarthy on facing people after you’ve told your story of alcoholism and horrible sex
Having a memoir out is like people have gotten hold of your diary and the reason they have it is because you gave it to them, writes Noelle McCarthy. After your memoir comes out, if you are lucky, someone will…
RNZ
Four young people arrested after series of unprovoked group assaults in Dunedin
Four people aged 18 and 19 have been arrested after a series of unprovoked group assaults in Dunedin left victims with moderate to serious injuries.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: Tauranga needs experienced leaders, not famous names – Bruce Cotterill
OPINION: The Mount Maunganui deaths were a preventable governance failure.
Stuff
Three people hospitalised after vehicle and motorcycle crash
The crash happened in Sockburn around 10am on Saturday.
1News
Four arrested after series of unprovoked assaults in Dunedin
Police said the arrests related to three assaults reported between August 16 and 21.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide review cost Tauranga council more than $519,000
The report by Paul Davison KC has not stopped calls for accountability over the disaster
Otago Daily Times
Thousands of young people to lose unemployment benefit after law changed under urgency
1News
Gurus join chatbot trend as people turn to AI for answers
Unfettered access — which can be challenging to find among human gurus — is drawing more people to AI for spiritual guidance.
Otago Daily Times
Helping young people ask the right questions about AI
NZ Herald
Watch: Devastating scenes near Kyiv after Russian strikes hit arms depot, killing 37 people
The attack was the second to hit a munitions depot near Kyiv in less than two months.
Newstalk ZB
Watch: Devastating scenes near Kyiv after Russian strikes hit arms depot, killing 37 people
Russia struck an arms depot near Kyiv overnight, sparking fires and explosions that killed 37 people and wounded dozens of others, authorities said on Saturday.
RNZ
Most young people 'following their noses' to find work, not dodging student loans, economist says
Higher repayments for student loans are unlikely to be the deciding factor for anyone weighing up whether to move, say economists.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: Council to discuss options for future of facilities
Councillors set to discuss slip risk tolerance levels and plan next steps for recovery.
Otago Daily Times
Young people trying to find work, not dodging student loans: economist
Stuff
Grand Canyon braces for more storms after deadly flash flood, 15 people still missing
More rain and thunderstorms were possible Monday at the Grand Canyon following a major flash flood that left one person dead and about 15 others missing or unaccounted for.
Newsroom
The warnings that could have saved six lives in the Mount
From The Detail: 'This should never have happened' – how warnings about the Mount Maunganui landslide went unheeded, and why no one has been held accountable The post The warnings that could have saved six lives in the Mount appeared…
1News
Tauranga council spends over $5m on fatal Mauao landslide response
More than $5 million has been spent on the January landslide response, with $1.81 million remaining in a $7 million risk reserve.
NZ Herald
NZ Super: Accountants propose higher payments for people who delay claiming
Accountants suggest incentivising people to hold off getting Super.
Stuff
Around 80 people rescued from Grand Canyon floods that left two dead and one missing, officials say
The bodies of a Texas chiropractor and at least one other person have been found after a major flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon, and officials said Monday that one person remains unaccounted for after about 80 others were…
RNZ
'Very few' middle tier staff understood the gravity of reports into Mt Maunganui landslide risks
Paul Davison KC's report found the risk was known decades before six people died in the landslide.
Stuff
Tauranga Council accepts findings of fatal Mauao landslide review
The independent investigation found significant organisational weaknesses in how landslide and environmental risks were identified.
NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui landslide: Tauranga councillors grill senior staff over risk management
The under-fire CEO signed a contract for a staff member who did not have proper training.
RNZ
More safe and affordable housing needed for older people, charity says
Christchurch Methodist Mission says New Zealand could be in "serious trouble" if it doesn't act to address the shortage of social housing for older people – with the population of renters over 65 set to triple by 2050.
Otago Daily Times
Charity warns more suitable housing for older people needed
1News
Heat on senior staff as councillors pick apart landslide failures
Tauranga councillors pressed staff on what was known before the tragedy, why monitoring stopped and why warnings never reached the council table.
The Spinoff
‘A lot of people openly loathe the arts’: Frances Pavletich’s books confessional
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional , in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: author of That Was Not My Intention, Frances Pavletich. The book I wish I’d written Gone Girl…
Stuff
People salvage their belongings from homes and schools after flooding in Nepal and Tibet, in photos
Residents salvage what they can from homes and schools ruined in catastrophic flooding that killed hundreds and left thousands missing in Nepal and Tibet.
Newsroom
Minerals, military strategy draw the eye of Trump to isolated atoll and its 230 people
Amid the political back-slapping about $100m for a new deepwater port on Tongareva, islanders are worried – they’ve been here before The post Minerals, military strategy draw the eye of Trump to isolated atoll and its 230 people appeared first…