The inquiry will examine the causes of the slips, whether relevant agencies took appropriate steps to warn and evacuate people, and identify any lessons to reduce future risk.
A grandmother and her grandson died in a landslide on Welcome Bay Rd, Pāpāmoa. Photo / Dean Purcell
Documents released yesterday by the Department of Internal Affairs said the inquiry was expected to cost $5.014 million.
Of that, $2.1m will come from the underspend of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 Lessons budget. The remaining $2.914m will be funded through an increase in Vote Internal Affairs appropriations.
The inquiry began considering evidence and information on March 30 and is expected to deliver a final report, including recommendations, by December 3.
The inquiry is being led by retired Supreme Court Judge and former Court of Appeal president Sir Mark O’Regan, supported by Dr Helen Anderson and lawyer Steve Symon.
Anderson was chief executive of the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology from 2004 to 2010, and Chief Science Adviser before that. Her previous work includes reviews of the failure of Statistics House during the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake and the quake-caused Christchurch CBD collapse in 2011.
Symon brings additional legal expertise, having recently chaired the Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime. He was also lead lawyer for WorkSafe New Zealand following the 2019 Whakaari/White Island volcanic eruption.
The deadly Mauao landslide at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park pictured on April 11. Photo / Alyse Wright
A daily fee of $1650 was approved for O’Regan, with Anderson and Symon each receiving $1350 a day.
Several other investigations into the landslides are also underway, including inquries by the coroner, NZ Police, WorkSafe NZ and Tauranga City Council.
The council’s review, led by independent reviewer Paul Davidson, KC, is expected to be completed by mid-year and will focus on events leading up to the Mauao landslide.
The council also announced today that restoration work on Mauao will begin next week.
Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.