David Guard

Force in Play

Coordinating debris removal operations

Nine people died during catastrophic storms that struck New Zealand's North Island from January 16-22, 2026. Six victims—Lisa Anne Maclennan (50), Måns Loke Bernhardsson (20), Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler (71), Susan Doreen Knowles (71), Sharon Maccanico (15), and Max Furse-Kee (15)—were killed when a hillside collapsed onto Mount Maunganui's Beachside Holiday Park at 9:30 a.m. on January 22. All six have now been formally identified through the coroner process, with Wheeler confirmed as the final victim on January 31. A grandmother and grandson—Yao Fang (71) and Austen Keith Richardson (10)—died when a 4:50 a.m. landslide struck their Welcome Bay home; Yao was a Chinese national and architect, Austen a gifted musician who called her 'Nai Nai.' A 47-year-old Kiribati migrant worker was swept into the flooded Mahurangi River on January 21.

Updated Jan 31