The Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service remains red-stickered as geotech experts assess the landslide risks on Mauao. Photo / Tauranga City Council
Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service will continue operations without its clubhouse as the building remains red-placarded a month on from the fatal landslide on Mauao.
The club says it is in a “holding pattern” waiting for further information before any decisions can be made on the future of its facility.
“We’re aware of the community’s love of the lifeguard service, and what we’d ask from them is some patience,” the club’s chairman said.
The lifeguard clubhouse was declared unsafe to occupy following the landslide on January 22 which claimed six lives.
The multimillion-dollar building was one of four sites on Adams Ave issued a red placard under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act.
It meant the building was unsafe to occupy due to external risks, but did not mean it had to be demolished.
Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service chair Brent Warner told the Bay of Plenty Times there had been a “number of challenges” due to the red placard placed on the clubhouse.
“It’s pretty hard to quantify; we’ve gone from a 6000 square metre building to probably a 25sq m building.”
He said the lifeguard service had gone through a “significant change”, shifting to temporary facilities, and adapting patrols, storage and operations.
Core rescue equipment was moved to a Portacom and storage container along the Main Beach and the west side of the Commons Ave toilet block.
“To access the beach, we run IRB motors in car parks on the side of the road, and take them along the road, down to the beach, and while that’s less far from ideal, it‘s manageable.”
Warner said the club had a “high-level” briefing from Tauranga City Council on the risks posed by slips behind the club’s building.
Geologists and geotechnical engineers gave updated assessments to the council after inspecting the Mauao landslide and affected tracks.
In a statement from Tauranga City Council, engineers found 42 landslides on the walking tracks.
Twenty-four landslides fell within the moderate, moderate–severe, and severe categories, indicating locations where track reinstatement was likely to require more than simple clean-up.
“We’re in a holding pattern of waiting to receive additional information before we’re anywhere close to making a decision on what the future of the surf club looks like,” Warner said.
He couldn’t give a time frame for when the building could be reoccupied, but wanted to make it “very clear” that the decision was solely for the lifeguards to make.
“The timeline will be set by the Mount Lifeguard Service because we will make the final decision on what reoccupancy looks like.”
Warner said at all times, lifeguards were an emergency rescue service who put themselves in harm’s way to keep the public safe.
“We’re aware of the community’s love of the lifeguard service, and what we’d ask from them is some patience.”
He said the service often had vulnerable people inside its facility, and 200 to 250 junior surf members under the age of 12 could often occupy the building.
“We simply are not in a rush to make any decisions about re-entry. We’re aware there’s a significant community interest in our facility, it is a taonga, along with Mauao.”
Warner said the lifeguard service was proceeding through a process with engineers and the council to ensure decisions made were based on the best information and were supported by appropriate due diligence.
“So we don’t put anyone at risk.”
He asked the community for patience and breathing space to give the club time to assess all information available to them.
“We are continuing to deliver lifeguard services like nothing has changed. We’ve been there keeping them safe since 1929, and we’ll be there for another 97 years after this.”
In a statement to the Bay of Plenty Times, Tauranga City Council said it was waiting on advice from geo-technical engineers about the risk that remained with the building.
“And what, if anything, we ought to do before deeming the surf club building safe to occupy again.”
The council said this would be communicated by downgrading the red placard, which would allow conversations to proceed with the surf club about reopening the building.
“We do not expect the surf club to be closed permanently, but there will likely need to be some management procedures, such as evacuation plans, in place for the foreseeable future.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.