'Heroic' teacher's final moments detailed in Mt Maunganui report
A new report details the actions of a teacher who attempted to warn others during a fatal landslide at a Mount Maunganui campground. The review concludes that the six deaths were preventable and resulted from systemic failures in safety management.
Why it matters
The findings underscore the importance of disaster preparedness and accountability in public safety and land management.
<p>A Morrinsville teacher killed in the tragic Mount Maunganui campground landslide spent the morning trying to warn others – going to "heroic lengths to help those around her". </p> <p>Photos taken by Lisa Maclennan – and included in a damning report out today – show the state of the campsite in the hours before a landslide ploughed through tents and campervans</p> <p>Six people died after a large chunk of the maunga gave way following a night of extreme rainfall on January 22 this year, collapsing onto the neighbouring Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.</p> <p><a href="https://www.tvnz.co.nz/player/newsclip/damning-review-finds-mt-maunganui-landslide-deaths-preventable" target="_blank"><b>Damning review finds Mt Maunganui landslide deaths ‘preventable’ - Watch on TVNZ+</b></a></p> <p>Maclennan's story was included in a 268-page external review into the tragedy by former judge Paul Davison KC, which found <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/08/19/mahe-drysdale-on-mt-maunganui-landslide-we-should-have-done-better/" target="_blank">the six deaths were "preventable"</a>. It found the outcome was a result of systemic failure.
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