Government launches inquiry into deadly Mount Maunganui landslide

The government has confirmed it will launch an inquiry into the fatal landslides in the Bay of Plenty last month.

Six people died after a portion of Mount Maunganui collapsed onto a section of a campground on 22 January.

A further two people died the same morning when a separate landslide hit a house in Papamoa.

Associate Emergency Management Minister Chris Penk was delegated responsibility for investigating whether the government would conduct an inquiry, separate from the Tauranga City Council's inquiry.

Penk has confirmed to RNZ that Cabinet has agreed to the inquiry into the landslides.

"It's clear those directly affected by this tragic and unimaginable loss, alongside the wider community, want to understand how these events occurred, and whether anything could have been done to prevent them," he said.

Penk said the next step would be to take a detailed paper to Cabinet, setting out the proposed scope, terms of reference, budget, and who will be appointed to lead it.

"Those responsible for the inquiry will be required to communicate with the families of the victims about its process and progress. It is my sincere hope that undertaking an Inquiry will help provide answers for all."

The government has previously said there was a strong case for launching an independent inquiry, following conversations with the families of those who had lost their lives.

The Tauranga City Council has launched a separate independent review, focusing on the events leading up to the landslide at the base of Mauao.

The fact that the council owned the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park meant councillors had noted there was an inherent conflict, and so expected the Crown would order an inquiry as well.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale previously said the Council's investigations would be different in scope to any Crown inquiry.

"We're very focused on... the 24-hours leading up to the landslips - you know, the decisions that were made."

He said the scope would widen to include anything relevant, but the priority was to establish the facts and the timeline.

Recovery operations at Mount Maunganui were stood down at the start of February, but technology would remain in place to monitor any land movements.

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