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Mahé Drysdale

Mahé Drysdale

Mayor of Tauranga

Appears in 1 story

Notable Quotes

"We're having to work through all the lists of those who are checked in... we don't know the exact number. The ablution block is the biggest area of concern, but there is a campervan and tents that were around that area as well." — Press conference, January 22, 2026

Stories

Deadly landslides hit New Zealand's North Island

Force in Play

Coordinating local response

Nine people died during catastrophic storms that struck New Zealand's North Island from January 16-22, 2026. Six victims—Lisa Anne Maclennan (50), Måns Loke Bernhardsson (20), Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler (71), Susan Doreen Knowles (71), Sharon Maccanico (15), and Max Furse-Kee (15)—were killed when a hillside collapsed onto Mount Maunganui's Beachside Holiday Park at 9:30 a.m. on January 22. All six have now been formally identified through the coroner process, with Wheeler confirmed as the final victim on January 31. A grandmother and grandson—Yao Fang (71) and Austen Keith Richardson (10)—died when a 4:50 a.m. landslide struck their Welcome Bay home; Yao was a Chinese national and architect, Austen a gifted musician who called her 'Nai Nai.' A 47-year-old Kiribati migrant worker was swept into the flooded Mahurangi River on January 21.

Updated Jan 31