Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says there's a "strong case" for a Government inquiry into the Mt Maunganui holiday park landslide, where six people are presumed dead after being caught in a slip last Thursday.
Luxon told media at the Government's first post-Cabinet press conference of the year that he asked Chris Penk – who has also been appointed Associate Emergency Management MInister for coordinating the response – to bring back advice.
He said: "I've asked Chris Penk to bring advice back to Cabinet on the potential scope of a Government inquiry into the events at the Mt Maunganui beachside holiday park.
"There are many questions being asked, including whether there was a missed opportunity to evacuate people sooner. Six families are grieving the unimaginable loss of their loved one, and they deserve answers.
"I acknowledge that the Tauranga City Council has ordered its own inquiry into the events leading up to the landslide at the campground.
Specialist equipment was brought in overnight to remove loose material above the site this morning. (Source: 1News)
"However, I do believe there is a strong case for an independent government inquiry, and we'll be talking to Tauranga City Council about that.
"Establishing the facts is not only what the families of those who lost their lives deserve, it's also important in helping us to ensure lessons are learned to prevent similar tragedies occurring elsewhere in the future."
Questions have been raised about whether warning signs were missed and if more could've been done to save lives at the council-owned campground.
Luxon hinted that the council-led inquiry may be folded into a wider government probe.
'The families deserve answers'
He explained there were multiple reasons as to why he felt one could be needed.
Families and members of the community are paying tribute to the victims in the landslide at Mount Maunganui. (Source: 1News)
"My view, very strongly, is that there's learning here for the rest of New Zealand, there's potentially an inherent conflict between the council and the council-owned campground, and importantly, the families deserve answers," he said.
"Their big desire is to actually understand what did happen here and I think doing that, especially being able to do that very objectively through an independent government inquiry would be the way forward.
"Of course, we want to have a conversation with the mayor, and he will need to talk with the council as well, about us making sure we come to an accommodation to say, let's do one inquiry rather than multiple inquiries, and let's set it up in the right way".
Torrid weather has caused havoc across parts of the North Island in the past week.
Flowers, kai and words of support have been given in the days after a landslide at Mount Maunganui which has left six people unaccounted for. (Source: 1News)
Nine people have died and a person remains missing.
Two landslips hit the Tauranga area, with one affecting a house in Papamoa – killing two – and another causing the destruction at Mt Maunganui.
"I think we owe it to the families to make sure there's an independent inquiry that they have confidence in, and actually taking that out of the confines of the council, I think would be smart, but let's have that conversation with the mayor," Luxon said.
Govt announces $1.2 million for mayoral relief funds
The Government has also announced $1.2 million in immediate support for affected regions through mayoral relief funds, on top of annual contributions already made.
A further $1 million will be provided to reimburse marae that have provided welfare support and to help them replenish and build resilience.
Around 500 people across the North Island have been displaced by the weather event, and the Government yesterday activated the temporary accommodation service to help them access housing.
State Highway 25 and State Highway 35 have both suffered significant damage and will take time to repair, while KiwiRail was assessing its infrastructure in the affected areas.
Luxon and Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell visited affected communities over recent days, including marae in Northland.
"I came away feeling incredibly proud and humbled by the manaakitanga shown by everyone there," Luxon said.
SHARE ME