Rescue Efforts Intensify After Deadly Landslide Hits New Zealand Campsite

Rescue workers in New Zealand continued searching through rubble on Thursday after a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall struck a popular campsite, leaving several people missing and causing widespread disruption across the North Island. The landslide occurred at a campsite in Mount Maunganui, a well-known tourist area, as intense rain battered much of the country’s eastern seaboard.

Emergency services said search teams would work through the night, using earthmoving equipment to remove layers of debris in what officials described as a dangerous and complex operation. Fire and Emergency New Zealand official Megan Stiffler said the unstable conditions posed significant risks to rescuers but stressed that efforts would continue until the search was complete.

Police superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing after the landslide was in the single digits, adding that there remained hope of finding survivors. Helicopters, search and rescue dogs, and ground teams were deployed to assist in the operation. Although no deaths had been confirmed at the campsite at that stage, authorities said two people were killed in a separate landslide that engulfed a house in the Papamoa suburb, while another person remained missing after a vehicle was swept away north of Auckland.

A witness, Nix Jaques, told local media she heard a loud roar before seeing earth collapse onto campsite structures, including an ablutions block and a campervan occupied by a family. Emergency crews initially detected signs of life in the rubble, but fears of further ground movement forced responders to temporarily withdraw from the site.

The severe weather knocked out power to thousands of homes, though outages had been reduced from about 16,000 to 8,000 by Thursday. Roads were closed across parts of Northland, Bay of Plenty, and Waikato, leaving some communities cut off.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the government was providing full support to affected communities and would remain involved throughout recovery efforts. Weather authorities later lifted all warnings as the storm system moved east.