The remains of Mount Maunganui landslide victim Sharon Maccanico have been formally identified. Photo / Supplied
Fifteen-year-old landslide victim Sharon Maccanico was wearing a silver bracelet from the “love of her life” when she died.
A Coroner’s Court victim identification hearing today heard the silver-link bracelet, with the inscription “Max”, helped play a role in her formal identification.
The teen was holidaying at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park with her family and boyfriend Max Furse-Kee when the deadly landslide hit.
Both Pakūranga College students were killed.
In a statement released this afternoon, Sharon’s parents, Natallia and Carmine, said their hearts were “broken” following the death of their “beautiful daughter”.
They said the teen was very well respected and had a great sense of humour.
“One year ago, Sharon met the love of her life, Max. They very quickly formed a strong relationship.
“Max became a treasured part of our family, and he looked after Sharon and made her feel so special.”
Six people were killed when the landslide came down on the Pilot Bay side of the campground, carrying with it tents, caravans and structures on January 22.
This week victim identification hearings have been held in the Tauranga District Court, including one this afternoon for Sharon.
Coroner Louella Dunn heard evidence from Detective Sergeant Brent Griffiths about the forensic examination of a body that was believed to be Sharon.
The primary identifier was a comparison of ante-mortem dental records and a post-mortem examination done by a forensic odontologist.
The secondary identifiers related to information gathered from her family.
This included her height, weight, build, hair colour and the jewellery she was wearing at the time.
One of the items of jewellery was a silver-link bracelet with the inscription “Max”.
Coroner Dunn said she considered the presented evidence sufficient and reliable in establishing that the body was Sharon’s.
She extended her condolences to the teenager’s family, friends and school, and acknowledged that at just 15 years of age, she had died in “tragic and unimaginable circumstances”.
Sharon’s parents said she was born in Italy, moved to Australia at 3 and then to New Zealand at 8.
She had a passion for dance and would practise for hours every day, participating in seven solo competitions, all of which she won.
Last year, she also won an international competition in Belarus.
“We gave her all the support we could and were so proud to watch her work towards achieving her dreams.
“We had the most amazing relationship with Sharon. From the day she was born, she was loved by all.”
Sharon was particularly close to her mother and had a strong bond with her older sister in Belarus. She was also popular at school, where her teacher described her as the “heart of the class because of her strong energy”.
“She made so many people happy and touched so many lives.”
The teen was the fourth victim to be formally identified in Coroner’s Court proceedings.
Earlier today, the body of Morrinsville woman Lisa Anne Maclennan was formally identified.
The 50-year-old, who was the literacy centre co-ordinator at Morrinsville Intermediate School, was caught in the Mount landslide.
Coroner Heather McKenzie said she was satisfied that remains recovered belonged to Maclennan.
Forensic odonotology, which focused on dental records compared with post-mortem examination, was the primary form of identification, as was DNA profiling evidence obtained from Maclennan’s children.
Secondary identifiers included her height, hair colour, and a tattoo, described by family members.
Coroner Heather McKenzie said she was satisfied there was “sufficient and reliable” evidence to establish the remains belonged to Maclennan.
Coroner McKenzie expressed condolences to Maclennan’s family, emphasising that “Lisa” was at the centre of the proceedings, despite the legal formalities and terminology used.
Maclennan has been lauded as a hero for her actions on the morning of the slip.
The Herald revealed she woke many holidaymakers at 5am to warn them the bank above the camp was deteriorating.
Maclennan was the third victim to be formally identified in the Coroner’s Court identification hearing process.
Swedish tourist Mans Loke Bernhardsson, who was 20, was identified on Thursday, and Max Furse-Kee was identified on Wednesday, on what would have been his 16th birthday.
The hearings are ongoing and form part of the Disaster Victim Identification process.
At the site of the landslide, which happened about 9.30am on January 22, recovery operations continue.
The other victims have been named as Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71 and Susan Doreen Knowles, 71.
Meanwhile, police say recovery teams working at Mount Maunganui have made good progress in recent days, but there is still a lot of work to do.
“Due to the nature of the work being undertaken, we do not have a timeline on when work will be complete,” Superintendent Tim Anderson said this afternoon.
“We are here for those grieving and for the families that have lost loved ones in this tragedy.
“The teams on scene are doing a great job at looking after each other, and we all want to reunite families with their loved ones.”
Hannah Bartlett is a Tauranga-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She previously covered court and local government for the Nelson Mail, and before that was a radio reporter at Newstalk ZB.