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Mark Mitchell

Mark Mitchell

Emergency Management Minister

Appears in 1 story

Notable Quotes

"It looks like a war zone." — After visiting Mount Maunganui site, January 22, 2026

"It is with a heavy heart that I send my thoughts and condolences to the family that have lost two of their loved ones in the Welcome Bay slip. Our thoughts as a country are with you." — Statement, January 23, 2026

Stories

Deadly landslides hit New Zealand's North Island

Force in Play

Leading government emergency response

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