Actions of Mount Maunganui landslide victim Lisa Maclennan, who helped save the lives of others, detailed in report

The actions of Lisa Maclennan, a victim of January's deadly Mount Maunganui landslide who was hailed as a hero, have been laid bare in a damning report into what took place that day.

Six people died in the landslide on 22 January 2026. They were Lisa Maclennan, Susan Knowles, Jacqualine Wheeler, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, Sharon Maccanico, and Max Furse-Kee.

Maclennan, 51, was earlier hailed as a hero by a woman at the campground who said Maclennan had woken her up shortly before 5am to warn her a slip had pushed her campervan forward.

Wednesday's report further detailed the actions Maclennan and her husband Travis took that morning to try and contact staff at the campground about their concerns of further slips.

Travis Maclennan told the report it had been a spur of the moment decision to go to the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday park and they were given a site for their campervan directly adjacent to the foot of the slop of the mountain.

About 4.30am on January 22, Lisa Maclennan was awoken by the movement of the caravan and hearing a noise she woke her husband and the pair went outside to see the slope behind the campervan had come down and hit the rear of the vehicle.

They moved their campervan and Lisa Maclennan woke the occupants of a small blue tent pitched beside them as she worried the man and his young daughter could be trapped if any more of the slope failed.

The couple wanted to urgently get hold of the campground's management so other campers could be alerted ot the risk. But multiple attempts to reach them by phone over the next few hours were unsuccessful.

The pair also tried using the intercom at the campground and knocked on walls of the building to attract attention from anyone inside but received no response.

About 5.15am they noticed another slip had come down further along the driveway and they woke up the occupants of two cabins and a campervan nearby.

Until 7am they went between visiting the office and trying to get in touch with management and standing by their campervan talking to other campers.

The pair also took photographs of the slips as the light improved.

When a council worker, whose name was redacted by the report, arrived at the campground shortly after 7am, Lisa Maclennan told them they had been trying to contact staff. The worker described her as "frustrated and agitated" because she could not get hold of anyone.

Travis Maclennan said they later saw a man with a campground shirt who they asked to come to their side of the campground to see the slips.

He said the worker had "showed no interest" in what Lisa Maclennan was saying and responded in a "dismissive way" saying he would "get there when he got there".

The worker, whose name was redacted, disputed that wording and told the report he said he would go over as soon as he was finished.

By 7.40am Lisa Maclennan was warning people near the amenities block of potential further slips, the report said.

Two campground staff members also looked at the slip the couple identified.

Shortly after 8.30am, the couple decided to leave the campground - the storm had passed and the sun was out. They decided to shower before leaving as the weather had cleared.

Travis Maclennan went first and was waiting by the campervan while Lisa Maclennan went to have her shower shortly before the slope failed without any visible warning just before 9.30am.

Lisa Maclennan's body was found five days after the slip. She was identified with the help of DNA, dental records and a butterfly tattoo above her ankle.

A statement released on Wednesday by her husband Travis Maclenan, said the report highlighted her "extraordinary and selfless actions" on the morning of the landslide.

"She made the safety of others at the campground her priority, and went to heroic lengths to help those around her."