This includes a 2600-signature petition asking the council to establish a residents panel to be involved in reopening discussions.<\/p>\n
The local business association also said council engagement has been limited and fragmented, with little collaboration and information, despite the organisation\u2019s offers to help.<\/p>\n
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said the community needs clarity on the next steps.<\/p>\n
The council has acknowledged the frustrations and said a lot of work is happening but it can\u2019t share much about it yet.<\/p>\n
The restoration will be staged and timing decisions will be made once assessments and approvals are in place.<\/p>\n
The council will host a dedicated business update session in Mount Maunganui on Monday and hopes to hear feedback to shape its response.<\/p>\n
It has been nearly three months since the January 22 landslide from Mauao killed six people at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park and damaged the Mount Hot Pools.<\/p>\n
Severe rainfall led to more than 40 slips on the 232m-high mountain, where the walking tracks are used by more than a million people each year.<\/p>\n
Mauao, the campground, pools, and nearby Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service building and Pilot Bay boat ramp remain closed.<\/p>\n
Community feels shut out<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neill, of the ratepayers\u2019 association, said the community felt shut out of discussions about reopening Mauao.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The] council has shut the doors to us as locals,\u201d he told Local Democracy Reporting.<\/p>\n
\u201cMauao is the heart and soul of everyone who lives in the Mount.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mount Maunganui Ratepayers, Residents and Retailers Association president Michael O’Neill. Photo \/ Alex Cairns<\/p>\n
He said locals got fed up waiting for the council<\/a> to make a plan after a 2019 slip damaged the base track, and cost estimates at the time of up to almost $7m also caused concern.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a sense of council stuffing around again and spending money unwisely.\u201d<\/p>\n The council has estimated more than $8.5m<\/a> would be needed for storm recovery-related costs in the next financial year.<\/p>\n This included an estimate of $6m in capital costs for restoring Mauao and other damaged facilities.<\/p>\n Recovery \u2018in limbo\u2019<\/p>\n Mount Maunganui Business Association chairwoman Jo Veale said engagement with the council had been limited and fragmented.<\/p>\n There had been little collaboration, despite the association\u2019s offers to help, she said.<\/p>\n She said the council told the association it was working on a transition-to-recovery plan, which would outline what needed to be done.<\/p>\n She has not seen the plan despite previous assurances it was close to being completed.<\/p>\n Veale said businesses were without direction and frustration was rising. People felt the recovery was \u201cin limbo\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is waiting for that document so that we can spring into action.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t do anything until we see what they\u2019re going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Association business improvement manager Jay Banner said the council had been meeting fortnightly with the organisation and others.<\/p>\n He said the council had \u201cnot had a lot of information\u201d to share.<\/p>\n The association had provided the council with data that showed spending was down compared with other areas.<\/p>\n However, \u201cMounties\u201d were fiercely loyal and continued to shop local, he said. The town centre was still vibrant and hospitality was going strong.<\/p>\n Petition launched <\/p>\n An online petition asking the council to establish a community panel of 11 residents to discuss ways to safely and sustainably reopen Mauao and its surroundings to the public has more than 2600 signatures.<\/p>\n Petitioner Barry Scott told Local Democracy Reporting his idea was for the panel of locals to be an influencing body.<\/p>\n \u201cThe panel itself won\u2019t make any decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott would speak in the public forum at the council\u2019s Tuesday meeting. This will be when the petition closes.<\/p>\n \u2018Need some clarity\u2019<\/p>\n Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said many people were asking what the future looked like, what timeframes there were and when Mauao would be safe to reopen.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we need some clarity from the council on what the next step forward looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n Rutherford acknowledged the tragedy, but said keeping Mauao closed was not the only way to be respectful of the loss of life.<\/p>\n \u201dI\u2019m sure there\u2019ll be future discussions around a memorial and things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n He said businesses wanted clarity about the future.<\/p>\n Mount Mainstreet chairwoman Jo Veale. Photo \/ Ayla Yeoman<\/p>\n
Mount Business Association business improvement manager Jay Banner. Photo \/ Rosalie Liddle Crawford<\/p>\n
A cordon keeps walkers and visitors away from Mauao and other closed facilities while the council considers recovery options. Photo \/ Kelly O’Hara<\/p>\n
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford. Photo \/ Alex Cairns<\/p>\n