Teenagers, a school tutor, a Swedish tourist, a grandmother and her 10‑year‑old grandson are among those lost in the devastating landslides.
Just before 9.30am on Thursday, January 22, a large landslide came down from Mauao at Mount Maunganui, after Tauranga’s wettest day on record.
A section of the hillside slipped down into the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park, trapping six people within it.
The victims are Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20, Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71, Susan Doreen Knowles, 71, Sharon Maccanico, 15, and Max Furse-Kee, 15.
Another landslide about 4am that day killed a grandmother and her 10-year-old grandson on Welcome Bay Rd, Pāpāmoa.
They were Austen Keith Richardson and his grandmother, 71-year-old Yao Fang.
Max Furse-Kee and Sharon Maccanico, both 15, were enjoying a summer holiday together when they were caught in the Mount Maunganui slip.
The pair both attended Pakūranga College in Auckland.
Furse-Kee’s mother, Hannah, said the love she had for her son was “impossible to explain”.
“No words are big enough to describe this love or the loss we are feeling,” Furse said.
“From the moment I first looked into his beautiful blue eyes almost 16 years ago, he had my whole heart. He was my sunshine.”
Puvi Nadason, Furse-Kee’s uncle, marked what would have been the keen sportsman’s 16th birthday earlier this week – six days after the tragedy.
Nadason said that Furse-Kee taught him love, patience and kindness.
Maccanico has been remembered as a gifted and kind performer.
She was a core member of Auckland’s RGD Studio and had competed internationally as part of a top junior hip-hop crew.
RGD’s Rebecca Gray told the Herald the past few days had been “heavy” for staff and the community.
She described Maccanico as a “rare soul” who was “exceptionally talented” and “danced with heart”.
“She was someone who people were just drawn to. She had a beautiful way of connecting with people.
“She was kind, she was inclusive, and she just genuinely accepted everybody,” she said.
A friend of the Maccanico family said the “beautiful, kind and talented” teen’s passing had left her parents heartbroken “beyond belief”.
Måns Loke Bernhardsson, a 20-year-old Swedish tourist who was to turn 21 on February 22, has been named as a victim of the Mount Maunganui landslide.
In a statement on behalf of Nils and Anders, Bernhardsson‘s father and uncle, he was remembered as a kind and lovable family member.
“He was a fantastic artist and was extremely talented. Måns was artistic, which was one of the many things we loved about him,” the statement said.
He was remembered for being incredibly athletic and for his love of downhill skiing and gymnastics.
“Måns was on holiday in New Zealand on what was a hastily booked trip with two of his friends.
“Him and his friends were adventuring around in their campervan, travelling both the North and South Islands,” his family said.
Two Rotorua women, Sue Knowles and Jacqualine Wheeler, both 71, believed to have been killed in the Mount Maunganui campground landslide were friends.
Wheeler, known as Jackie, co-founded an interior design business, and Knowles was a property manager for EVES in Rotorua.
Rotorua councillor Gregg Brown said the women were friends and had been good customers of the cafe he owned, Capers. He said he knew Knowles particularly well and described her as “a delightful human being”.
“She helped us in her role at EVES a number of times, and we were very grateful for her contribution.“
Knowles is married to former Rotorua car dealer Robin Knowles and they have two children, Krystie Lewis, who is the general manager for IT specialists iTCo Solutions, and BP Oil sales manager and drift car champion Rohan (Roady) Knowles.
Sue Knowles was described on the EVES website as being a friendly and professional property manager who began her career in the industry in 2007.
Outside of her work and close-knit family, it said she enjoyed horse riding, including trekking, hunting and dressage, as well as mountain biking.
Morrinsville woman Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, who was the literacy centre co-ordinator at Morrinsville Intermediate, has been lauded as a hero for her actions on the morning of the slip.
The Herald revealed she woke many holidaymakers up at 5am to warn them that the bank above the camp was deteriorating.
This afternoon Maclennan’s husband, Travis, issued a heartfelt tribute to his late wife.
He said the entire family was “absolutely devastated” by her death.
Travis said she was “very spontaneous and adventurous”.
“She was always looking for new things to do and would never shy away from a challenge,” he said.
“Lisa was fully devoted to her job as a learning assistant and loved working with young people that had challenges in their learning.
“She loved nothing more than seeing students succeed and overcome personal obstacles. That is one thing, among many, that we loved about her, and know the whole community did too.”
Travis said his wife always had the best interests of others “at the front of her mind”.
Morrinsville Intermediate principal Jenny Clark described Maclennan as an “amazing Literacy Centre tutor”.
“Our love and aroha go out to Lisa’s family,” Clark said.
A 10-year-old grandson and grandmother with an “incredibly close relationship” have been named as the victims of the Welcome Bay landslide.
Police have named Austen Keith Richardson and his grandmother, 71-year-old Yao Fang, as the victims.
Fang was described as a devoted grandmother of Chinese descent, and Richardson was described as a “bright” and inquisitive young piano student.
The family said Richardson affectionately called his grandmother “Nai Nai”.
“Austen was born in Shanghai, China, and we moved back to New Zealand with him when he was about 8 months old. Since Austen was born, Fang has spent extended periods of time with us in New Zealand,” the family said.
The body of a 47-year-old man – believed to be from Kiribati – swept away in a river near Warkworth on Wednesday has been recovered.
He was named as Tekanimaeu Arobati.
The recovery effort continued today, with Superintendent Tim Anderson, Bay of Plenty District Commander, called it a “challenging operation for everybody involved”.
He confirmed they still do not have a timeline for when work will be complete.
“As this operation reaches week two, it gives a great indication of the sheer scale of what we are working with here,” he said.
“We have seen a significant number of staff from around the country travel into Mount Maunganui in recent days.
“Over the course of the last week, police staff from several districts have come into the region to assist with the recovery operation, as well as relieve some of our staff who have worked incredibly hard.
“It has been warm the last couple of days, so we need to maintain our focus on staff safety.”
Recovery teams working at Mount Maunganui have made good progress in recent days, however there is still a lot of work to do, he said.
“Due to the nature of the work being undertaken, we do not have a timeline on when work will be complete.”
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