Fatal Mt Maunganui landslide: Minister to keep tabs on council after damning report

The Local Government Minister says he is keeping a close eye on Tauranga City Council in the aftermath of a damning report into a deadly landslide but won't say if its chief executive should be sacked.

Six people died after a landslide at Beachside Holiday Park in Mount Maunganui in January and a damning independent report released on Wednesday found the council had known about the dangers of the site for decades.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts told media at Parliament the report was damning and the scenario was "preventable".

Watts said he had spoken with mayor Mahé Drysdale and requested a formal meeting.

"I want an explanation in regard to the report findings, and in particular a timeline around when the council will implement those recommendations.

"It is my expectation that those recommendations are implemented without delay, and that's something I'll be closely monitoring."

The Mount Maunganui Ratepayers Association have called for the council chief executive Marty Grenfell to sacked over the report.

Watts said keeping Grenfell as chief executive was a "matter for council" but asked if he thought there should be consequences, he said there was "no doubt" accountability would be on the minds of residents and ratepayers.

"The ratepayers of that region and residents and community of that region will be reading that report and when it says that it was preventable and that if processes had been in place... then calling for accountability is something that no doubt residents will have on their mind.

"The role that I have as local government minister is making sure that, first and foremost, we know where the risks lie, and making sure those risks don't lie in other councils across the country and that's something I've also directed my officials to look into immediately," he said.

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell described the report as "harrowing" and the situation was "entirely preventable".

"Six people have lost their lives in what was an entirely preventable situation, following years and years of systemic failure at Tauranga City Council.

"Our part is to make sure that the recommendations are implemented. The government has been clear that that's what we want to see [and] Tauranga City Council has said that that's what they will do, which is a good first step."

Uffindell also would not comment on whether Grenfell should resign but said the public would "rightly want some accountability for this, and so they should".

Standing beside Uffindell was Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford who said Mount Maunganui was an "absolute icon" in the Tauranga and Bay of Plenty communities.

"I'm born and raised in Tauranga, lived in Mount Maunganui all of my life, and frankly, people are absolutely gutted. You never expect that this sort of thing happens in your place of home so, for all of us, we're feeling the emotions of what took place on the 22nd of January.

"Us as local members of Parliament are doing the best we possibly can to ensure the recommendations are taken on board by the council, actioned upon, and we're going to continue to fight for those changes to be actioned, so we can prevent this sort of thing happening again in the future," he said.

Simon Watts said he had written to councils across the country following the release of the report setting his expectations.

"I have an expectation that they are taking on board the learnings and lessons from the Tauranga report back and will be seeking advice in regard to whether those gaps that had existed in Tauranga exist in other parts of the country."

Watts said he did not have any evidence to "show that was the case" but thought it was "prudent" to check.

Tauranga Council have committed to implementing all of the recommendations in the report.