Mike Bain/cvnznews.com
Tauranga City councillors have confronted senior staff over a damning review that found the Mount Maunganui landslide tragedy was preventable, questioning how warnings went unheeded for nearly three decades.
At Tuesday’s meeting, councillors formally accepted the findings of former High Court Judge Paul Davison’s external review, which concluded that the council knew of the landslide risk but failed to act. Six holidaymakers were killed when a slip tore through the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on 22 January 2025.
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Davison’s report cited systemic failures across the organisation and made 10 recommendations for reform. No individual was found personally responsible.
Chief executive Marty Grenfell said the council accepted the findings “without qualification” and would implement every recommendation. He rejected calls to resign, saying he was best placed to lead the changes.
Councillors pressed Grenfell and his leadership team on why risk monitoring had stopped, how reports were escalated, and why warnings never reached elected members. Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular, representing Mount Maunganui, asked if Grenfell was surprised by Davison’s description of systemic failure. Grenfell replied he was “very, very disappointed” that information had not been properly escalated.
General managers Sarah Omundsen, Christine Jones, and Reneke van Soest each expressed frustration that crucial risk data had not been shared or acted upon. Van Soest, who had been in her role only weeks before the tragedy, said enduring change would require improvements to systems, governance, and culture.
Scoular also questioned staff training and appointment processes, noting one staff member admitted lacking required qualifications. Grenfell said the appointment occurred during a restructure affecting 160 staff, with 110 roles removed.
Councillors Glen Crowther and Rick Curach debated whether to “accept” or merely “note” the report, but ultimately agreed acceptance showed commitment to change.
Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the report marked the end of Davison’s work but the beginning of reform.
“We absolutely can change how this organisation operates,” he said. “Our challenge now is to embed those recommendations and ensure risk is never ignored again.”
1 Comment
Unpopular opinion perhaps, but my view is that the grilling is a bit unwarranted. Yes it was a terrible disaster, however saying that there were decades of warnings and it was preventable – whilst true in one sense – is also a little misleading.
As a senior manager myself, I know there are always many vulnerabilities that you are responsible for, yet dont have the resources to properly take care of. These people are very well aware that one is only a single audit question away from losing a job – which would not solve the underlying problem anyway.
People want lower rates, yet also demand perfection in all provided services. You cannot have both, therefore compromise reigns as everything is subject to prioritisation. Where are the reports showing the actions taken by the Council over the last 30 years showing the disasters they prevented? I bet there are plenty, but the media are not interested in that.
From the coverage one could assume the media are more interested in taking down the managers than actually solving the problem.