The Tauranga City Council chief executive says he knows the organisation "better than anybody" and is best placed to address systemic failures uncovered in a review of the fatal January landslide.
Yesterday, the first review released into the fatal Mount Maunganui landslide prompted calls for accountability and action from top leadership, including Tauranga City Council's chief executive Marty Grenfell.
The independent review was commissioned by Tauranga City Council in February to look at the decision-making process and the council systems in place around the time of the tragedy.
Paul Davison KC’s report said: “The central conclusion of this review is sobering in its simplicity. This was not a hazard that was unknown, hidden, or beyond the reach of foresight.”
The report added: “For more than two decades, one competent consultant after another identified the landslide hazard to the campground, located it on the very slope that failed, and explained – sometimes in stark terms – what the consequences of a landslide occurring could be.”
It made 20 recommendations covering management of risks to life and monitoring of geohazards, as well as responses to warnings about emergencies.
Davison said no one person did anything intentionally wrong, or that anyone's actions or omissions caused the deaths.
Speaking to Breakfast about the fact there was knowledge within council of the risks, Davison said: "these reports were commissioned and managed at an operational level".
"Unfortunately, they never found themselves specifically onto the corporate risk registers, where they could have been appropriately considered and these risks managed as they should have been."
Breakfast host Chris Chang then asked "why haven't you offered your resignation?"
Tauranga City Council's chief executive Marty Grenfell told Breakfast he knew the organisation "better than anybody" and maintained he was "best placed" to address the issues uncovered in the review. (Source: Breakfast)
Grenfell responded: "I've been involved in this organisation for for eight years. I know it better than anybody. There's no one in this organisation that's more determined and motivated to address the issues of this organisation and implement these recommendations."
The review found the tragedy was "preventable" and identified systemic failures within Tauranga City Council spanning more than two decades.
Six people died when the landslide from Mauao hit the council-owned campground at its foot about 9.30am on January 22 after record rain.
Grenfell said TCC had responded to "numerous crises" during his time there, saying he was "best placed" to understand the findings of the report.
"Across the across the city, we we operate high risk activities. We run an airport. We operate water treatment plants and water treatment stations. We manage risks every day in this situation.
"Unfortunately, the operational arms of the council hadn't escalated this to a point where it could be appropriately managed by capable and experienced people within the organisation. It's a systems issue," he explained.
He said the public could trust in his experience within the role.
"I'm accountable for the performance of the organisation. My focus, and task, and my commitment is to implement these recommendations and drive the change that this organisation needs to address these issues.
"Whilst this has been described as a systemic failure, it's not epidemic across the organisation. We need to be laser-focused. We failed to manage the risks appropriately in relation to the campground. We need to address that."
He said the mayor, Mahé Drysdale, had given him "clear instructions".
"Mahé has confidence. He's given me clear instructions. He's given the organisation clear instructions, and has expectations on how we respond to this. That's where my focus is."
Tauranga mayor Mahe Drysdale said he has apologised to the families for the "failings" of his council. (Source: 1News)
As heavy rain brought widespread flooding to the North Island - and some regions saw their wettest days on record - the landslide in Mount Maunganui hit campervans, tents, vehicles and an ablution block near the Mount Hot Pools at 9.30am.
Half a dozen people were confirmed to be unaccounted for. Rescue efforts commenced, with emergency services painstakingly searching through the slip layer by layer.
Two days later, those efforts at Mauao transitioned into a recovery operation, and the victims' identities were confirmed by police.
They were Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, from Morrinsville; Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20, from Sweden; Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71, from Rotorua; Susan Doreen Knowles, 71, from Ngongotaha; Sharon Maccanico, 15, from Auckland; and Max Furse-Kee, 15, from Auckland.
The report also highlighted the heroic actions of Morrinsville teacher Maclennan, who spent the morning trying to warn others about the danger before the tragedy struck.
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