Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

The chief chef at Hicks Bay Motor Lodge said two feet of deep silt, water and debris surrounded the motel after a large slip crashed into the back of rooms on Thursday morning.

Georgina Taiapa said water was still flowing down from a nearly 200-square-metre slip that crossed SH35 and swept down into the lodge.

Helicopters have been air-lifting help and supplies into Te Araroa and Hicks Bay today after slips and flooding cut off the East Cape community on Wednesday night.

Taiapa – who is also a member of the Hicks Bay rural fire brigade – was staying at the lodge to keep an eye on guests – and receive any local evacuees – when the slip came down at about 3am Thursday.

She moved about five guests into the lodge’s restaurant and looked after them with food and coffee until daylight.

When the sun came up, she was able to see the extent of the devastation.

“There was just water and debris and silt everywhere, and then when I went up around the back, [and] there was just sludge and all the water running off the slip. Where the slip had come down, there were just big trees. We were quite lucky, actually,” Taiapa said.

She said the flooding in recent days was the worst she’d seen in nearly 16 years in the area.

Her own home – near the Wharekahika river – had been “flooded out” and she would be staying at the lodge until she could find somewhere to live.

“I haven’t been able to get down here and have a look, but I’ve been sent videos of it. It is what it is.

“Just until they can sort something else with the house, but that’s going to be a long time. You’ve got to carry on. Can’t do anything about it. I’m just making sure that the guests are all safe and well, and they all get evacuated and get back where they need to get to. I’m okay.”

She said the lodge was well equipped for food for the next couple of days, and power had come back at about 1.30 pm on Friday.

The owner of the lodge, Tony Holden, said about eight rooms had been yellow stickered by the council following the slip.

Gisborne District Council said at least 90 households were cut off in the Tai Rāwhiti district, but not all would require assistance at this stage.

By midday Friday, there had been four helicopter drop-offs across the area, which had been used to deliver two building assessment teams, conduct welfare checks and move people to other locations.

Another four flights were scheduled to deliver medical supplies and food to parts of Hicks Bay and Te Araroa later in the day.

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz told RNZ on Friday morning that at least seven communities were cut off and more information would come to light about their needs during the day.

“After today, we’ll be able to know who is there. It is a small community, but still, they have real needs – especially for this weekend with no access. We have to look at their water and food needs, their electricity needs. All of that is what we will take into account today,” Stoltz said.

Gisborne District Council chief executive, Nedine Thatcher Swan, said the exact number of isolated communities – needing supplies flown in – was likely to grow as the day progressed.

“It’s been really hard to try and understand the number that are impacted, so that’s why we’ve got people deployed in there this morning to really get a grip up on how many,” she said.

“Speaking to our community link teams in there yesterday, they’re talking like they’re cut off from Tai Rāwhiti, but – within there – we’ve got pockets that are cut off from one another.”

Slips and unstable land could cause problems in the area for weeks to come. She was urging people to stay clear of any landslips in the district.

“Just be very, very careful. Do not go near those landslides. The ground may still be unstable – no matter how much we may think we know that area – they are unpredictable and could move without warning.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A child killed alongside his grandmother when a landslide hit a house in Pāpāmoa was a “bright” talented musician, his piano teacher says.

Two bodies were recovered by police at the home on Welcome Bay Rd on Thursday.

RNZ understands they were a grandmother and grandchild.

St Peter’s Anglican Church director of music Chalium Poppy said the boy was due to come to a piano lesson at the Mt Maunganui church on Thursday.

Poppy said he was contacted by a friend of the family to say the boy was missing in one of the slips.

“I’d been teaching all morning, so I hadn’t heard the news about the slips yet, and so I was a little bit caught off guard and on the back foot, but it became obvious during the day that it was a lot more serious,” he said.

“Then I found out again from a friend of the family, whose son also takes piano from me, that it was confirmed today that he was one of the two victims.”

Poppy said the boy had recently started taking piano lessons with him.

“He had only sort of just started, so he had a few lessons… but like with all my students, I always sort of do a meet and greet first and make sure that it’s going to be a right fit for the student and the parents and everything and so I got to know him through sort of the meet and greet more than his lessons, but he was just really bright and incredibly talkative… asked lots of really great questions, like a really cool, sort of inquisitive mind, and obviously talented musically.”

The church had opened its doors on Friday and were holding a vigil.

“It’s all just very raw, like it’s just happening, there are still people that are missing,” he said.

“We’re just responding the only way that… the church knows how, and that’s to sort of open up our doors, provide sanctuary, provide a place for people to come and pray and sit in silence and light a candle. We’re here to serve the community, so that’s exactly what we do, and especially in times of need.”

Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson confirmed on Friday afternoon one of the people who died at Welcome Bay was a Chinese national.

He confirmed six people were currently unaccounted for, including two teenagers, following the landslide at Mt Maunganui.

The youngest of those missing was 15-years-old.

“We have been unable to establish the whereabouts of three further individuals.

“While we do not currently believe they were involved in the slip, further enquiries are required to rule it out.

“Those three parties are believed to be tourists, and we believe it is likely they left the area.”

Police were asking anyone with video footage of the slip at Mt Maunganui yesterday to upload it via this online portal.

“Additionally, anyone who might have information that could help our enquiries into the three parties whose whereabouts are yet to be determined is also asked to get in touch,” Anderson said.

People could do so through the 105 service, referencing Operation Sunbrae.

“We are wrapping support around the families of those whose loved ones are unaccounted for,” Anderson said.

“We would also like to acknowledge the wider community, who have similarly shown such an outpouring of support and empathy for those affected, including the family of those who died in Welcome Bay.”

Anderson said there were still thousands of people across the region affected by the weather event, and Police, alongside other agencies, were working to support the communities.

“In Welcome Bay, where a number of evacuations were carried out, Police are carrying out additional patrols around those vacant properties until residents can return.

“Police will continue to work with our partners to support the ongoing operation at Mount Maunganui as the first priority, and will also continue to deploy our staff across the region where they are most needed.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have confirmed a person has died at Cheltenham Beach on Auckland’s North Shore.

A spokesperson says they recieved a report of a man being pulled out of the water unresponsive just after 3pm.

Despite emergency services providing medical assistance the man died at the scene.

The immediate area is being cordoned off.

Police will make enquiries into the man’s death on behalf of the Coroner.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

At least five police officers are at Cheltenham Beach in Auckland’s Devonport.

A witness at the beach told RNZ they can see what appears to be a body bag on the beach beside police officers.

The witness says they can also see a surf rescue jet-ski.

The beach is a popular swimming spot opposite Rangitoto Island in the Hauraki Gulf and is known to have relatively flat, calm waters.

More to come…

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Firefighters in Canterbury are responding to a house believed to have been struck by lightning, and another where the ceiling has caved in as a bout of severe weather crosses the mainland.

It comes after MetService issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Canterbury regions of Hurunui, Waimakariri and Christchurch City.

Fire and Emergency said shortly after 2pm, it received eight weather related callouts in half an hour across Kaiapoi and Rangiora.

A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said it was notified on an incident on Kingsbury Avenue, Rangiora, around 3.30pm, with one person taken to Christchurch Hospital in a moderate condition.

… More to come

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say six people including two teenagers are missing at Mount Maunganui after Thursday’s landslip at a campsite, while they are seeking further information on three others.

Police District Commander Tim Anderson told media the youngest among the missing was a 15-year-old and another teenager was also missing.

“There has been speculation or discussion around children. The youngest ages are 15 years of age. So we’re talking about youth or young people or teenagers.”

Asked if it was just one teen among the missing, Anderson said: “two”.

He said police did not believe the three people they were seeking information on were still in the area.

They may possibly have been overseas tourists, but police would like to confirm their whereabouts, he said.

The slip came down at the Beachside Holiday Park at Mount Maunganui at about 9.30am on Thursday, smashing into campervans, tents, vehicles and an ablution block near the Mount Hot Pools.

FENZ assistant national commander David Guard, Regional Response Coordinator said it was still being treated as a rescue event.

Anderson said police would make a call “day by day” as to when the operation moves from a rescue to a recovery mission.

There had not been any signs of life beneath the rubble “as of today”, Anderson says, “but we live in hope”.

Guard would not confirm whether bodies had been recovered from the Mt Maunganui campground site.

“We are in the middle of a rescue operation and it would be insensitive on families to talk about that openly in the public arena.”

That information will become public in time, he said.

Every inch of soil and debris removed from the site will be worked through, he said.

The agency was committed to staying on site until the situation had been brought to a conclusion, he said.

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said initial indications were that there may have been a small slip in the early hours of Thursday morning, and some people were able to move away from the area.

How much warning there was would be addressed at a later date but the focus right now was on the rescue response, he said.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand was full of grief and what happened at Mt Maunganui was an absolute tragedy. He has spent the morning with families of some of those missing.

Luxon said he had seen neighbours and “friends of friends of friends” going to houses to help clear slips and debris and there was something inspiring to see community members reaching out and supporting neighbours in tough times.

Rescuers were “deeply deeply committed to doing everything they can to help find these loved ones,” Luxon said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams worked overnight in what authorities described as a complex and high-risk environment.

A far-reaching cordon is in place at Mount Maunganui which was closed following the slip.

Mount Maunganui local Robyn Leech whose apartment overlooks the slip on Friday morning said that crews had been furiously digging through the debris for nearly 24 hours.

The mood was eerie and sombre and the area was practically deserted, aside from Search and Rescue crews, police and security, she said.

A group of about 50 people, including media, had gathered at the cordon by 10.30am on Friday with locals concerned about the situation and looking for an update.

Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell earlier said further slips at the campground where people remained missing were a “massive consideration”.

Mitchell said the risks were clear from how two firefighters died in a secondary slip in Auckland during Cyclone Gabrielle.

“That is a major safety concern and one that is being taken seriously. There’s geoscientists on site. We actually evacuated the Mt Maunganui Surf Lifesaving Club yesterday for exactly those reasons.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say six people including two teenagers are missing at Mount Maunganui after Thursday’s landslip at a campsite, while they are seeking further information on three others.

Police District Commander Tim Anderson told media the youngest among the missing was a 15-year-old and another teenager was also missing.

“There has been speculation or discussion around children. The youngest ages are 15 years of age. So we’re talking about youth or young people or teenagers.”

Asked if it just one teen among the missing, Anderson said: “two”.

He said police did not believe the three people they were seeking information on were still in the area.

They may possibly have been overseas tourists, but police would like to confirm their whereabouts, he said.

The slip came down at the Beachside Holiday Park at Mount Maunganui at about 9.30am on Thursday, smashing into campervans, tents, vehicles and an ablution block near the Mount Hot Pools.

FENZ assistant national commander David Guard, Regional Response Coordinator said it was still being treated as a rescue event.

Anderson said police would make a call “day by day” as to when the operation moves from a rescue to a recovery mission.

There had not been any signs of life beneath the rubble “as of today”, Anderson says, “but we live in hope”.

Guard would not confirm whether bodies had been recovered from the Mt Maunganui campground site.

“We are in the middle of a rescue operation and it would be insensitive on families to talk about that openly in the public arena.”

That information will become public in time, he said.

Every inch of soil and debris removed from the site will be worked through, he said.

The agency was committed to staying on site until the situation had been brought to a conclusion, he said.

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said initial indications were that there may have been a small slip in the early hours of Thursday morning, and some people were able to move away from the area.

How much warning there was would be addressed at a later date but the focus right now was on the rescue response, he said.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand was full of grief and what happened at Mt Maunganui was an absolute tragedy. He has spent the morning with families of some of those missing.

Luxon said he had seen neighbours and “friends of friends of friends” going to houses to help clear slips and debris and there was something inspiring to see community members reaching out and supporting neighbours in tough times.

Rescuers were “deeply deeply committed to doing everything they can to help find these loved ones,” Luxon said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams worked overnight in what authorities described as a complex and high-risk environment.

A far-reaching cordon is in place at Mount Maunganui which was closed following the slip.

Mount Maunganui local Robyn Leech whose apartment overlooks the slip on Friday morning said that crews had been furiously digging through the debris for nearly 24 hours.

The mood was eerie and sombre and the area was practically deserted, aside from Search and Rescue crews, police and security, she said.

A group of about 50 people, including media, had gathered at the cordon by 10.30am on Friday with locals concerned about the situation and looking for an update.

Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell earlier said further slips at the campground where people remained missing were a “massive consideration”.

Mitchell said the risks were clear from how two firefighters died in a secondary slip in Auckland during Cyclone Gabrielle.

“That is a major safety concern and one that is being taken seriously. There’s geoscientists on site. We actually evacuated the Mt Maunganui Surf Lifesaving Club yesterday for exactly those reasons.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand