An independent review has found that systemic failures by Tauranga City Council contributed to the “preventable” Mount Maunganui landslide that killed six people in January.
David Lynch, an advocate for the CTV Families Group, said it was indefensible that the report confirmed “a wholly avoidable tragedy” without holding anyone accountable.
The landslide struck Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park shortly before 9.30am on 22 January. The council owns and operates the holiday park.
Former High Court judge Paul Davison has spent about six months examining the timeline, council decisions, risk assessments and monitoring systems leading up to the disaster. His findings found the hazard was known and foreseeable, with consultants repeatedly pointing out the danger over more than two decades.
“This was not a hazard that was unknown, hidden, or beyond the reach of foresight,” Davison wrote. Consultants had located the risk on the slope that eventually failed and warned, sometimes “in stark terms,” about the potential consequences.
Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale said the findings were “clear and deeply confronting”. Although the review did not blame any individual, it found the council had missed opportunities that might have prevented the tragedy and showed poor risk management.
Drysdale apologised to the victims’ families and said the council accepted all 10 recommendations. Chief executive Marty Grenfell said the findings would be implemented in full, with a detailed response plan due before councillors on 1 September.
Lynch says the outcome echoes the CTV building tragedy, in which the Royal Commission identified serious engineering, design and permitting failures but was unable to determine liability. He said public safety depended on scrutiny and consequences for professional negligence. “Accountability is not optional, it is the minimum standard a functioning system owes its citizens,” Lynch said.
ACT MP Cameron Luxton called for clear responsibilities and timeframes for reopening businesses around Mount Maunganui, adding that Police, WorkSafe and the Coroner were still investigating and the council should receive the same treatment as a private business.
Read more at Newsbeat Tauranga, RNZ and NZ Herald, listen to Marty Grenfell on Newstalk ZB and watch RCR’s January interview with David Lynch.
#This story has been republished with permission from RCR Bites. For news like this direct and free to your Inbox every day, go to biteme.news to sign up for RCR Bites.
Could the cloud seeding in the area also be contributed to the landslide?
It’s all about money with these parasites in council the CEO is responsible he has to go for a start that doesn’t mean with a golden handshake that means with nothing.
First of all my heart goes out to grieving families whose children should not have been killed
! am pleasantly surprised the report is accurate, open, and frank.
Jowecer, this report follows Luxon’s cynical attempt to distract voters with a pointless MMP vote.
Luxon doesnt want voters inquiring about the millions of tax doĺlars Luxon and his colleagues are siphoning into their back pockets via fictitious aussie consulting firms’ ridiculous invoices including the $100m harbour crossing consulting fees to date but atill no recommendation.
Congratulations to the radio nz reporter who had Bishop squirming and inventing excuses for paying out $100m and not receiving a recommendation.
The Tauranga CEO will resign but that is not enough. Like all councils Tauranga charges monopolistic rates and fees but failed do its most important role, keep ratepayers safe and keep their children alive
People who commit manslaughter, must go to jail!
“Accountability is not optional, it is the minimum standard a functioning system owes its citizens,”
Arrogant parasites have their ‘justice’ buddies and their cuntsultants in line to avoid accountability and prosecutions to create a ‘functioning system’ that is failing and at it’s end. It is a system that is built on apathy of the sheeple. Times will need to get a helluva lot harder before the populace had enough.
ALL public servants ought to undergo tuition in politics and finance before they are able to wield any false pretence of servicing the public. Parasitic self-assurance and unfathomed ignorance never cares about the host. But look at who is endearing themselves to be a public servant: failed lawyers and olympic back-paddlers.
Too stupid to make an honest living, but cunning enough to be on the teat of the tax payer. But taxation is not enough: On top of that, they turned the citizens into eternal debt slaves, all for promises, all for nice-to-haves, all for their own glory.
If megalomanic busy-bodyleeches don’t care about mechanics of any society, the populace needs to wisen up:
https://youtu.be/MWZ8hTwOCUU
Get rid of that crook Geenfell and put D Ownes in,