A Pāpāmoa family displaced by a deadly landslide will move into their new rental today and say they are “lucky” to have found another place to call home.
Becks Smith and her children, Meihana Orupe, 16, and Aaliyah Orupe, 13, were evacuated from their rental property on January 22 after a large slip hit neighbouring homes on Welcome Bay Rd, narrowly missing Smith’s bedroom.
Smith lived near the property where Yao Fang, 71, and her grandson Austen Keith Richardson, 10, were killed in a landslide.
Several landslides hit Tauranga and the Western Bay last Thursday after the city’s wettest 24-hour period of rain in official MetService records.
Another deadly slip from Mauao swept through the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park and the Mount Hot Pools at 9.31am, leaving six people unaccounted for.
The first victim has been formally identified by the coroner as Max Furse-Kee, who would have turned 16 yesterday.
Yesterday, a fresh slip near a reservoir watermain pipe near Baypark in Tauranga threatened homes and lives, prompting evacuations of about 150 people from 30 properties.
Tauranga City Council lifted the evacuation order about 8.30pm, with most evacuees able to return home.
Smith told the Bay of Plenty Times on Sunday her rental had been red-stickered and was too unsafe to enter, leaving the family with “nowhere to live”.
Yesterday, she said the family had “locked in” a new rental and would move in today.
Smith said their Welcome Bay Rd rental was still red-stickered and she was unsure about if or when they could return.
“But at least we’ve got a house. That’s the main thing at the moment.”
She said Pāpāmoa Property Management contacted the family about an available rental.
“We went and viewed it ... it fitted everything that we needed. It worked out really well. We just got lucky.”
She said the Pāpāmoa community had offered them basic household items.
Smith said there had been online commentary about how they were worried about a house when people had died.
“We’re not worried ... we obviously still lost a lot but, you know, lives obviously are different.
“We’re actually still going through quite a bit of a deal as well.”
Smith said her children had been struggling, but the news about their new home had “lifted them back up”.
“We’ve already been through heaps of s**t before all this ... we were just getting on a nice little run.
“So, just a little shock for them, but my kids are tough, they’re doing alright.”
Smith said the family were going to Pāpāmoa College yesterday.
“They’re kitting the kids out for school uniforms and books and stuff.
“The community here’s pretty good. It’s actually quite mind-blowing, to be honest.”
Smith thanked the Pāpāmoa community for their support, which had “blown us away”.
“We’re really grateful for the community here - they’re definitely one of a kind, that’s for sure.”
Smith’s sister had set up a Givealittle page for clothing, footwear, toiletries, and essential household items to help the family. It had raised about $2700 by Thursday morning.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council emergency operations centre controller Peter Watson said the council appreciated how upsetting and uncertain the situation was for affected residents, and its priority remained their safety and wellbeing.
The council said on Sunday that four properties in the wider Welcome Bay area had been red-stickered.
“At this stage, the red placards remain in place.”
Watson said the council’s rapid building assessors and Tonkin and Taylor - the Natural Hazard Commission’s (formerly the Earthquake Commission) preferred geotechnical contractor - were on site yesterday carrying out more detailed assessments of the affected properties.
This included second‑stage geotechnical and structural assessments to understand ground conditions, land stability and any changes since the initial rapid building assessments, Watson said.
The more detailed work would help determine whether it was safe to downgrade any placards, whether temporary supervised access may be possible, what stabilisation work may be required, and the long-term pathway for each property, he said.
“Our welfare team has contacted all affected households directly. This includes welfare check‑ins, the latest assessment information, and clarification of next steps."
Watson said residents would continue to receive updates as new technical advice became available.
He said access to red‑placarded homes was still not possible. A red placard meant the building was unsafe to enter due to serious land instability, structural damage or unsafe access conditions.
“We understand how distressing it is for people to be unable to retrieve personal belongings. Future access — including the possibility of limited, supervised retrievals — will depend entirely on the findings of geotechnical specialists and structural engineers.
“Safety must come first for residents, neighbours and responders.”
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.