Tauranga landslides inquiry extends public submissions to 4 September
The public submissions process for the Government Inquiry into the Fatal Landslides in Tauranga has been extended by three weeks, with submissions now closing on 4 September.
The inquiry, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Sir Mark O'Regan, is investigating two fatal landslides that struck the Tauranga area on 22 January 2026, killing eight people. Six died at Mauao (Mt Maunganui) when severe storms and record rainfall sent mud and debris onto the campsite below. A separate landslide fell onto three properties on Welcome Bay Road in Pāpāmoa, killing two. There were 42 landslides on Mauao alone during the January storm event, according to the NZ Herald's Bay of Plenty Times.
Cabinet launched the inquiry on 9 February 2026. It is administered by the Department of Internal Affairs and began considering evidence and information on 30 March 2026, following its formal establishment through New Zealand Gazette notice 2026-go1496. The inquiry is directed to inquire into and report on how the landslides occurred and whether relevant agencies took appropriate steps to manage any risk. It is required to deliver a final report with recommendations.
Public submissions opened in July, with the Department of Internal Affairs calling for public submissions on 20 July 2026. The online submissions portal opened on Tuesday 21 July. The inquiry is accepting video, drone footage, photos, and rain gauge measurements through an upload portal, alongside written submissions.
The three-week extension gives affected residents, agencies, and other interested parties additional time to provide evidence. For an inquiry of this nature, the volume and quality of public submissions can shape the scope of findings, particularly where first-hand accounts of the storm event and its aftermath fill gaps in official records.
The inquiry's terms of reference cover both landslides as distinct events occurring on the same day. The Mauao slide and the Pāpāmoa slide involved different geographies, land uses, and potentially different regulatory frameworks, which means submissions relevant to one may not be relevant to the other. The extension applies to the inquiry as a whole.
The gazette notice establishing the inquiry also provides for restricting access to certain aspects of proceedings, which means some evidence and testimony may not be heard in a fully public setting. That is standard for government inquiries where sensitive personal information or matters subject to ongoing investigations are involved.
A police and coronial process is also underway regarding the landslides. The Tauranga City Council and WorkSafe have each commissioned their own investigations. The concurrent investigations mean the government inquiry is not operating in isolation; its findings will sit alongside whatever conclusions the coroner, police, WorkSafe, and the council reach independently. Where those processes intersect or overlap, the inquiry chair has the task of drawing on whatever material is available without prejudicing the other proceedings.
For those working in and around the Beehive and the broader public sector, the inquiry is one to watch for its implications across emergency management, land-use planning, and the regulatory responsibilities of local government. The Mauao and Pāpāmoa sites raise distinct questions about natural hazard risk on council-owned and privately held land, and about what was known, by whom, and what was done with that knowledge before January's storm.
The 4 September deadline is now the operative date. Anyone intending to submit evidence, including rain gauge data, visual material, or written accounts, has until then to do so through the Department of Internal Affairs inquiry portal.
