January 22, 2026 — Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, Emergency crews are engaged in intense search and rescue operations after deadly landslides struck New Zealand’s North Island on Thursday, following days of heavy rain and flooding that battered the region. In the early hours of Thursday morning, a landslide crashed into a residential property in Welcome Bay, near Tauranga, where two people were later found dead and others escaped unharmed. Later that day, a much larger slip tore through the Beachside Holiday Park at Mount Maunganui, burying campervans, cars, tents and a shower block under tonne

January 22, 2026 — Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, Emergency crews are engaged in intense search and rescue operations after deadly landslides struck New Zealand’s North Island on Thursday, following days of heavy rain and flooding that battered the region.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, a landslide crashed into a residential property in Welcome Bay, near Tauranga, where two people were later found dead and others escaped unharmed. Later that day, a much larger slip tore through the Beachside Holiday Park at Mount Maunganui, burying campervans, cars, tents and a shower block under tonnes of mud.

Authorities say multiple people remain missing, including a young girl, with the total unaccounted for described in “single figures.” Rescue teams — including firefighters, sniffer dogs and heavy machinery  are combing the unstable terrain, though efforts have been hampered by safety concerns as the ground remains prone to further movement. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has pledged continued government support as communities grapple with disruption, power outages and widespread damage across the storm-affected North Island.

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