What a week.  

What a heartbreaking, devastating week across the North Island.  

The weather raged. Homes ruined. Livelihoods swept away. Communities cut off. And most tragically - lives lost. The power of Mother Nature was on show in full force, reminding us that life can change in a moment.

I don’t think there is a New Zealander who hasn’t spent time over the last 3 days thinking of the grieving families and friends of those lost or missing in the weather related tragedies this week.  

As the weather began to settle on Thursday, we thought the worst was behind us - and then came the almost unthinkable. A group of campers were swept up in a deadly landslide.  

As the rescue operation at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park and Mount Hot Pools moved into a recovery phase yesterday, our hope of finding people alive switched to the hope that all the victims will be found and returned to their families.  

Once the initial shock slowly subsided, there has been, as you’d expect, heightened emotional responses to the tragedy.  

Questions have been raised about the speed of the rescue mission, whether the camp ground and pool area should have been evaluated and evacuated earlier and who is responsible for that, whether campers should have left on their own accord before the bad weather arrived, and whether we take the frequent weather warnings seriously enough.  

These are all valid questions. But is it really helpful to launch into the blame game in the midst of a rescue mission? Is this really the time for outrage? Shouldn’t our energy go into making sure the families involved have all the support they could possibly need, and that those responsible for the rescue /recovery operation have all the resources and support they need?

I would prefer to put the outrage and inquisition to the side - just for now. Once families have been reunited, and the recovery mission is complete, then yes, bring on the questions about accountability, and how we handle weather related disasters.    

Given the scale and seriousness of the event, the Tauranga City Council’s announcement of an independent review of all aspects leading up to the landslide was the right call. This will be just one of many opportunity for these questions to be asked and answered.  

In the meantime, our thoughts are with all the families of those waiting for their loved ones to be found and returned to them.

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