WELLINGTON – Heavy rain has triggered a string of major landslides across New Zealand’s North Island, hitting parts of the Bay of Plenty and causing deaths and missing people. The slides struck on 22 January 2026, sparking a large search and rescue effort. Crews have been working nonstop in difficult conditions, with unstable ground and more bad weather raising the risk.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the country is “full of grief” as the scale of the damage becomes clear. The slips have affected homes and a busy holiday park during the summer school break, when the region is packed with visitors.
The first serious landslide happened at about 4:50 a.m. in Welcome Bay, near Tauranga. A large volume of mud, rock, and debris came down a hillside and slammed into a house, leaving it badly damaged.
Two people escaped, but two others were trapped inside. Emergency teams later recovered both bodies, confirming the first deaths linked to the storm. Reports say the victims were a grandmother and her grandson.
China’s ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, said one of the victims was a Chinese citizen. Authorities have not released names while families are being informed, and the loss has shaken the local community.
New Zealand’s Mount Maunganui Holiday Park Hit
Around the same time, another landslide hit the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park, a popular campsite at the base of Mount Maunganui (Mauao). With the ground soaked through, a large section of earth gave way and swept through the park.
The slide crushed caravans and camper vans, damaged a shower block, and tore through tents where families were sleeping. People on site described a terrifying moment, with screams heard as the slope collapsed, followed by a sudden quiet once the debris settled.
Police and rescue crews, including specialist urban search and rescue teams, have been digging through thick mud and unstable piles of earth. Officials say they have not found signs of life in the campground search area so far, raising fears for anyone trapped beneath the rubble.
As of 23 January 2026, two deaths have been confirmed from the Welcome Bay landslide. At the Mount Maunganui holiday park, six people are listed as missing, including two teenagers, with the youngest aged 15.
Police are also trying to locate three more people who may have been nearby, though they are not believed to have been at the campsite when the slip happened. That has pushed early concern numbers as high as nine in some reports.
No one has been rescued from the holiday park debris so far. The search is expected to take days because of the damage, the depth of mud, and the safety risks for responders.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned that the threat of more landslides and flooding remains high across the upper North Island. People are being urged to stay away from affected areas and follow local advice.
Local Support and Official Response
In the hours after the slides, residents and other campers rushed to help, pulling at damaged tents and looking for survivors before emergency teams arrived in full force. Support centres have since been set up for families waiting for news.
Emergency management minister Mark Mitchell said authorities will keep working until everyone is accounted for, and promised support for those affected.
These landslides are a harsh reminder of how quickly extreme rainfall can turn dangerous in New Zealand. As the response continues, officials are expected to look into what led to the slips and whether any warnings were missed.
