A Coroners Court hearing has been held this afternoon to formally identify the third victim of a landslip at a holiday park in Mount Maunganui last week.
Coroner Heather McKenzie confirmed she was Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50.
Evidence was presented by Detective Sergeant Brent Griffiths, a member of the Disaster Victim Identification team, at the Tauranga Moana District Court at 12.30pm.
The coroner ruled the identity of the body had been established as Lisa Anne Maclennan and her remains could now be released to her family.
Maclennan's body was found on January 27.
McKenzie expressed her "sincerest condolences to Lisa’s family and her community".
'We are going to miss her immensely'
In a statement, Maclennan's husband Travis said her family were "absolutely devastated following the loss of our beloved Lisa".
"Lisa was a cherished daughter, mother, aunty, sister, grandmother (Nan Nan) and wife, and we all loved her dearly," he said.
Spontaneous and always up for an adventure, Maclennan was "always looking for new things to do and would never shy away from a challenge".
Travis said she was "fully devoted" to her job as a learning assistant and "loved nothing more than seeing students succeed and overcome personal obstacles".
"That is one thing, among many, that we loved about her, and know the whole community did too," he said.
'Always put others before herself'
Travis continued: "Lisa always had the best interests of others at the front of her mind, and she would always put others before herself."
"She was incredibly selfless and would often sacrifice things for other people.
"Lisa went above and beyond for her friends, her family, and the community.
"She was loving, humble, loyal and we are going to miss her immensely."
Not one for the spotlight, the passionate educator was "always worked so hard in the background to help others succeed".
"We as a family would like to thank police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue teams, rapid relief, local iwi, and everyone who has been on site day after day working tirelessly to help bring Lisa and all those unaccounted for, back to their families."
The Morrinsville teacher "lost her life trying to save everyone else", a Givealittle page set up for Maclennan in the wake of the disaster said.
"We cannot put a value on the loss of a loved one but any donations will make a difference and help this whānau through this extremely difficult time."
Six people were missing after a slip at Beachside Holiday Park at the base of Mauao last Thursday struck the campsite's toilet and shower block, piling into campervans and tents.
The missing 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.
The first victim of the landslip was formally identified on Wednesday as Auckland schoolboy Max Furse-Kee.
The second victim was formally identified yesterday as Swedish tourist Måns Loke Bernhardsson.
Police earlier said the search would be moving to a "recovery phase" after human remains were found the day after the landslip.
Recovery efforts for the victims resumed on Thursday afternoon after an hours-long pause brought on by concerns about land movement.
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