Tauranga Council allocates $500,000 to finish landslide review actions

At a Tuesday meeting, Tauranga City Council approved a request for $500,000 of unbudgeted expenditure to complete the recommendations arising from an external review of the fatal Mt Maunganui landslide. The review, authored by Paul Davison KC, identified a series of weaknesses across governance, risk management, information handling, communication, escalation and organisational culture, concluding that no single project could resolve the issues.

Councilors Lisa Maclennan, Susan Knowles, Jacqualine Wheeler, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, Sharon Maccanico and Max Furse-Kee had previously accepted all recommendations and agreed on a holistic organisational improvement programme. Mayor Mahe Drysdale warned that additional resources could strain other priorities, but the council nonetheless endorsed the funding to support staff appointments and systemic changes. The initiative aims to build lasting capability, accountability and a stronger safety culture to prevent future incidents. The council also affirmed the work completed so far while acknowledging further actions are required.