Some walking tracks on Mauao should open for summer, Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says.
By Ayla Yeoman of Local Democracy Reporting
These include summit route Te Ara Motukauri, also known as the 4WD track, Waikorire Track or the stairs track; and some of Te Ara Tūtanga, the base track.
In a community meeting in Mount Maunganui last night, Drysdale, Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular and Tauranga City Council recovery manager Charlie Rahiri answered locals’ burning questions about progress following January’s devastating landslides on the mountain.
Drysdale told Local Democracy Reporting he couldn’t give a reopening date yet as there were still a few “wild cards” that could influence plans, but “good progress” was being made.
“Summer is a good target to have and hopefully it’ll be early summer rather than late summer.”
Tauranga mayor Mahe Drysdale said he has apologised to the families for the "failings" of his council. (Source: 1News)
Drysdale said the summit would not reopen until there were two access routes available.
This was important for safety and rescue purposes.
Risk assessments for rockfall and the track would help the council decide what mitigations would need to be in place.
Drysdale said the council would not hold off reopening to wait for the results of the Government’s inquiry into the fatal Mauao slip.
These had been delayed until February.
The council – which published its similarly delayed review of the tragedy last month – would consider any recommended actions from the Government report when it came out.
Rahiri said the summer goal was achievable, but some things needed to be done first.
Rahiri said it was possible the conclusions of the rockfall and track risk assessments could delay the reopening.
“My deepest desire is to return [Mauao access] to the people of Tauranga.”
During the meeting, Drysdale also said the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service would return to its building this weekend and Adams Ave would no longer need to close during TARP – Trigger Action Response Plan – level three rainfall events because mitigation measures were now in place.
Several community members criticised the council’s communication about the recovery, calling it “poor” and “not good enough”.
Rahiri said he wanted to hold community update events more regularly.
One person asked if the council could release a project plan, outlining the planned timeline with milestones and key dates.
Several other residents echoed the call for this to be publicly available, so the community could better understand what to expect.
Scoular, who is also the Mount Maunganui ward councillor, said elected members got fortnightly updates that she hoped to share with the community.
She acknowledged the concerns and questions raised by locals during the meeting.
“There was nothing I didn’t agree with tonight.”
Scoular said she would be very excited to have Mauao reopened for summer.
She said unforeseen circumstances, however, could delay this.
“We didn’t expect the regression to happen,” she said, referring to July’s further slippage at the fatal landslide site.
Drysdale acknowledged the findings of the council-commissioned independent review into the tragedy by retired judge Paul Davison.
Drysdale said that had some of the “multiple missed opportunities” been taken, “ultimately this event could have been preventable”.
He said the council would embrace the review.
“We’re going to take those lessons on board and we’re going to fix them.”
Eight months after tragedy struck at the base of Mauao, the beloved institution is preparing to welcome its community back. (Source: Seven Sharp)
Asked what the council planned to do after the review found “systemic management and leadership failure”, Drysdale said he was confident the organisation had taken accountability.
“Some of the people that were receiving [risk] reports were maybe not qualified to identify and manage risk.”
In an update on slip remediation progress, he said nine of the 42 landslides on Mauao from January 22 had been fully remediated.
Work was in progress on 12, another 12 awaited tree clearance, one was being prepared for remediation, and eight required further assessment.
He said the volume of earth that has slipped at the main landslide site, including regressions, was now equivalent to “about 155,000 wheelbarrow loads of dirt”.
Drysdale also spoke about the recently released Quantitative Landslide Risk Assessment and what it meant for the campground and hot pools, which were both damaged by the slip.
He said the Mount Hot Pools appeared more likely to reopen than the adjacent holiday park, although future assessments and remediation work were still needed.
“The campground is looking hard,” he said.
He encouraged the community to share their hopes and ideas for the area.
He said the council was considering the cost of mitigation works, economic viability, alternative future uses of the site and community consultation on options.
Community members suggested planting or “recloaking” the mountain as a mitigation strategy for landslides and rockfall.
One resident asked about spending and who was paying for the recovery efforts and if all partners in the Mauao Trust were contributing.
Rahiri said it was part of the agreement when Mauao was returned to iwi ownership, and the trust was formed, that the council was responsible for managing the mountain and therefore was responsible for the costs.
Drysdale said about $470,000 had been spent on contractors carrying out physical works, compared with total recovery spending of $5.2m. He said $1.8m remained in the council’s risk reserve.
Drysdale said there would still be a risk to life even when the mountain is reopened.
Rahiri said “our experience at Mauao will not look the same as it did prior to January 22”.
– Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On AIr
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