The first victim of the landslip at a holiday park in Mount Maunganui last week has been formally identified in a Coroners Court hearing this evening.
Evidence was presented by Senior Constable Robert Stokes, a member of the Disaster Victim Identification team, to Deputy Chief Coroner Brigitte Windley at the Tauranga Moana District Court.
He was identified as Max Furse-Kee, 15, from Auckland.
“Sadly, today he would have turned 16,“ noted the coroner.
The coroner ruled the identity of the teenager had been established and his body could be released to his family.
A Givealittle page set up to support the Furse family – titled: In Loving Memory of Max – had raised more than $50,000.
Six people were missing after a slip at Beachside Holiday Park at the base of Mauao on Thursday morning struck the campsite's toilet and shower block, knocking over campervans and tents.
The victims were named by police on Saturday as Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50; Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20; Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71; Susan Doreen Knowles, 71; Sharon Maccanico, 15; and Max Furse-Kee, 15.
Inspector Will Loughrin said in an update this evening that recovery teams were making good progress but still had "days of work ahead of them".
"Police, supported by Urban Search and Rescue and contractor drivers, have reached the area where the ablution block was, and they are continuing the painstaking effort to gently dig through the slip.
"The reason the work is so time consuming is because we are digging millimetres at a time. We can’t rush this work, and we won’t rush it."
Loughrin said an estimated 70 police staff were involved in the recovery effort per shift.
"There is an enormous amount of work, and the people doing that delicate work inside the scene are just the tip of the iceberg. Family liaison officers are in Tauranga to support families, there are staff inputting information, sorting logistics, carrying out interviews and reviewing footage from the public," he said.
“Council, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, local iwi, and businesses are also supporting this recovery – there is an army of people who are focused on doing what they can to help and to support the families.”
Tauranga City Council Emergency Controller Tom McEntyre said there was a "risk to life and property" from a landslide. (Source: 1News)
Police asked anyone with video footage and images of the slip at Mt Maunganui to upload it via the online police portal.
"We are particularly interested in anyone who has footage or images of the campsite and Mt Maunganui between Wednesday night right through to the time the slip happened and the immediate time after the slip," he said.
Investigators have received more than 100 video clips and photos through the portal at this stage.
Police earlier said the search would be moving to a "recovery phase" after human remains were found on Friday.
Recovery efforts for the victims resumed today after a day-long pause brought on by instability on the face of the slip.
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