Tauranga acting Mayor Jen Scoular says repair work will continue on Mauao’s base track, after renewed movement at the site of a fatal slip.

It comes as findings of a review into the January 22 slip, which killed six people at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park, are due to be delivered soon.

Tauranga City Council recovery manager Charlie Rahiri said there were “regression movements” in the existing landslides on Mauao over the weekend.

This included a significant regression of the slip above the holiday park on Friday evening.

The council previously said about 8000 cubic metres of earth had newly shifted at that site. The January slip involved 12,000 cubic metres of earth.

The movements started before a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the North Island on Saturday morning, centred in the Manawatū-Whanganui region and felt in Tauranga.

A council media release on Tuesday said geotechnical specialists had identified fresh cracking and evidence of groundwater emerging from the slope, indicating the affected areas remained highly susceptible to further movement.

“As a result, the landslide is considered active and ongoing.”

Adams Ave had been closed to traffic, and the Pilot Bay boat ramp was also closed.

The council said safety controls, including the Adams Ave closure, would remain “for the foreseeable future” as expert assessments continued.

Scoular told Local Democracy Reporting the council was comfortable that it was ensuring the safety of people by closing Adams Ave.

“We have always said safety is paramount and that we are relying on professional expertise.”

After speaking with some of the community, she said many were saying Mauao was “telling you that he’s not healed yet and just leave it alone”.

She said the recent slips were not what they wanted to see but they remained positive about the recovery works continuing.

She said planned work to clear the carpark of the slip-damaged Mount Hot Pools had been halted due to the recent movement.

Mount Maunganui ward councillor Jen Scoular is Tauranga's acting Mayor. Photo / David Hall

Scoular said the boat ramp was closed due to being in level three of the Trigger Alert Response Plan (Tarp) for the area - a risk management system introduced after the January slip.

Scoular said the lifeguard building reopening was still in the hands of the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, as the building’s red placard had been removed.

“They’re also waiting for the QLRA (Quantitative Landslide Risk Assessment) to come back because they did a separate one for the area above them.”

She said decisions were yet to be made regarding the council’s Adams Ave mitigation strategy, and the new slips would “need to be taken into account”.

The slip site above the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park following regression over the weekend. Photo / Tauranga City Council

Shipping containers were placed along Adams Ave after the January slip, and the council has discussed ballasting containers or constructing a temporary bund of earth to reduce disruptions to Adams Ave.

Scoular said the findings of the external review commissioned by the council into the January slip would be released to the council within the next week.

The findings would be released to the public after “stakeholder engagement”.

Scoular said she had also spoken with Mount Mainstreet chairwoman Jo Veale, who told her the Mount Maunganui area still had a lot to offer other than the mountain, especially with sunny weather in store.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said the new slips were “really, really sad” for the local community.

He told Newstalk ZB the mountain itself may be closed but the Mount Maunganui area was not and local businesses would appreciate support.

Rahiri said the recent reactivation of the main landslide reinforced the need for the cautious and safety-focused approach the council had taken to the recovery and remediation of Mauao.

“At this stage, the other known landslide areas on Mauao appear to remain stable, and we are continuing to monitor them closely.”

The council recently completed repairs to the slip-damaged Motukauri 4WD summit track, which remains closed to the public.

Rahiri said the council was not aware yet of any damage to the track following the recent slips and ongoing assessments and monitoring would continue.

Tauranga City Council recovery manager Charlie Rahiri. Photo / Tauranga City Council

“While the reactivation is significant, it does not change the remediation efforts currently underway on Te Ara Tūtanga, the base track.

“Those works will continue as planned, with the safety of contractors, visitors and the wider community remaining our highest priority.”

He said Mauao was continuously monitored through a range of geotechnical monitoring systems alongside regular inspections.

He said the monitoring network performed as intended in the latest event, with alarms activating and enabling the council to respond quickly and implement appropriate safety measures.

“This event validates the precautionary approach that has guided our recovery programme.”

Rahiri said significant progress had been made in recent months in stabilising and restoring affected areas of the maunga.

“We remain committed to balancing restoration efforts with public safety and the long-term care of this important cultural and community landmark.”

Geotechnical assessments of the reactivated slip continued and, until they were complete, Rahiri said it was too early to determine what it may mean for nearby assets including the Pilot Bay boat ramp, Mount Hot Pools, the holiday park and the lifeguard building.

The findings would help to inform any future stabilisation measures.

In the meantime, track remediation works would continue while the council reassessed the conditions in light of the latest movement.

“We know Mauao holds deep significance for the community, and we appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as we continue our work to safely restore access while protecting both people and the maunga.”

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

Ayla Yeoman is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2022.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.