The Herald understands from a source involved in the Mount Maunganui rescue efforts that as many as nine people are unaccounted for under the landslide.
Police earlier said the number “is in the single figures”.
One of those trapped under the debris-covered ablution block at the campground was trying to warn others of the imminent danger when the landslide hit.
A woman whose campervan was crushed but managed to escape praised the person who raised the alarm.
“I just want you to know that one of the women that’s in that shower block, she was a hero,” the woman, who didn’t want to be named, told the Herald.
She described the situation that unfolded as “horrible”, but said the woman did all she could to help save lives from early Thursday morning.
“She went around at 5 o’clock this morning and she got us all out of bed and she woke us all up so that we could move out ... and she’s not out,” she told the Herald.
The massive landslide at the base of Mount Maunganui hit the campsite’s toilet and shower block and knocked over campervans and tents.
The disaster has sparked a huge rescue effort by dozens of police, fire and emergency and land search and rescue teams who have cordoned the area where they’re trying to reach those trapped.
When the hillside started collapsing around 9.30am, emergency officials and holidaymakers who managed to escape could hear people screaming from under the rubble.
Rescuers then had to pull back for their own safety as the slip started moving again and, when they returned, voices could no longer be heard.
A digger is being used to try to remove the vast amounts of dirt and debris still covering a large section of the campsite, and dog teams have moved in.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell told the Herald “young people” were among those unaccounted for and described the situation for parents who were waiting for news at the nearby surf club as “heartbreaking”.
“As parents, you imagine what this is like. It’s very, very tough,” he said.
Superintendent Tim Anderson described the situation as a “rescue operation” and said the number of people unaccounted for was in the “single figures”.
“I can’t be drawn on numbers, but it is possible we could find someone alive,” he said.
Police have been trying to determine who may have left the campground without checking out prior to the landslide hitting.
Jessie Kaur, who owns the Oceanside Resort, said she heard people screaming as the hillside collapsed.
“I was in the reception inside and we heard people screaming and things falling down and people screaming and running around,” she told the Herald.
She said emergency services were on the scene within 10 minutes of the slip hitting the campground.
“People were all in a panic and our guests were panicking too. Everything happened in front of our eyes,” she said.
Emergency officials said the priority at this stage remained freeing those who were trapped, saving lives, and stabilising the slip.
They say the rescue efforts will continue into the evening.
Another emergency operation is unfolding at nearby Welcome Bay in Pāpāmoa, where two people are missing after a landslide hit their home early on Thursday.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named Reporter of the Year at the New Zealand Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.