Mount Maunganui community calls for support after Mauao landslide

Tauranga City Council’s foot traffic numbers showed about 178,000 visits in April this year along Maunganui Rd, compared with last year’s 233,000.

Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said Mount Maunganui businesses and the wider community had shown resilience during a difficult and uncertain period.

“There’s no question it has been tough for those closest to the maunga, particularly with reduced foot traffic and visitation due to the closure of Mauao.”

The organisation’s latest data showed the number of domestic visitor days for the wider coastal Bay of Plenty region had dropped 15%.

Nathan said some of the decline in domestic visitation would have occurred after the January 21 rains.

However, international visitor days – which were “booked further in advance and less changeable” – were 11% higher than in January.

A farmer’s market at the urban park Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka. Photo / Tourism Bay of Plenty

Nathan said the organisation’s focus was on drawing visitors’ attention to other appealing sites in Mount Maunganui.

Moturiki (Leisure Island), Hopukiore (Mt Drury), and the Marine Parade Coastal Pathway were open.

Nathan also encouraged locals and visitors to try different eateries.

Mount Mainstreet chairwoman Jo Veale said Mount Maunganui needed its locals out to support its businesses.

“There are about 270 businesses [in the Mount Business Association], and all of those businesses are people who are not sole traders.”

Veale said they had families, and those families also patronised local businesses.

“Their dentists are here, their doctors are here, their kids go to school here, they shop at the local supermarket.”

She said Mount Maunganui was not only a tourist destination; “it’s a humming little living community”.

“That’s who people will be supporting by coming down here and spending.”

The main landslide on Mauao on April 11, 2026. Photo / Alyse Wright

She called it a “domino effect”.

Veale said a project was in the works to attract “friends of the Mount” – visitors who lived within one hour or so of Mount Maunganui.

Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Kristy Phillips said members had reported less foot traffic.

“Some operators are reporting declines of around 30% in customers, even during what should have been peak summer trading.”

Phillips said this operating environment was different to other hospitality-related disruptions.

“It’s very localised and tied to a specific event.”

She said the closure of Mauao had a flow-on effect across the hospitality sector.

“The industry in this area is reliant on foot traffic and tourism.”

She said businesses were tightening their staff requirements and adjusting trading hours.

Paddle boarders at Pilot Bay, Mount Maunganui. Photo / Anna Heath

“If you’re able, we encourage people to head out and support the local businesses that add so much to make the place what it is.”

Retail New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young said Mount Maunganui retailers were navigating a ”tough environment”.

“Businesses are trying to work out how they can pivot, what else they might be able to do to attract customers, what other products they want to sell.”

She said retailers were looking for a viable business model.

Their previous models were based on prior foot traffic, and Young said a “blow to foot traffic was a blow to revenue”.

“We’re encouraging New Zealanders to shop local. Keeping your income in the New Zealand economy is really important.”

Mount Maunganui activities

There are heaps of places to visit, things to do and special activities in Mount Maunganui.

Free activities

Paid activities

V8 Trike Tour Mauao Adventures The Sauna Project Retail storesIce-cream spots including Monte Gelato and Polar Dessert BarBeachside cafesRestaurants – Solera, Alpino, Rice Rice Baby, and more

Source: Tourism Bay of Plenty

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.