"Our hearts remain with those families who have suffered unimaginable loss, and we continue to stand in solidarity with them.
We extend our profound gratitude to all the emergency workers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly and with immense care to bring the missing loved one’s home to their families. It has been humbling to observe how hard everyone worked and came together to provide the families with some closure, with all six missing family members now recovered and identified.
While loved ones lost in this terrible tragedy have now been returned, we will continue to offer support to the families in the years to come and have been blown away by the care they have been provided by the Police family liaison team.
Mauao is a treasure of our city and owned by tangata whenua of Tauranga Moana. Their onsite presence of Kaitiaki have wrapped aroha around the grieving families, and we thank them for all the love and support they have provided for the families and the community.
Civil Defence teams and Tauranga City Council staff have all worked hard behind the scenes to ensure recovery operations ran as smooth as possible, so thank you to all.
With the Police operation winding down, Tauranga City Council are working closely with Police and others on the site transition plan for site handover to the Council. This is likely to happen in the coming days.
We understand the challenges for businesses in the area and thank them for their understanding through this tough period. We will continue to advocate to reduce cordons in the coming days and once the Council takes over the site prioritise getting the cordons reduced as much as possible while continuing to keep people safe. This will be done on advice with experts, including geotechnical advice. Our aim is to have all businesses back operating as soon as possible.
Finally, we also wish to acknowledge and thank the Tauranga community who have in so many ways showed their compassion and respect to the families and their loved ones during this tragic time, through messages, flowers, volunteering, donations and many other ways. It has been a tough time for the city, but we are proud of the way our community has responded in a great time of need.
In times of tragedy, the true strength of Tauranga is revealed in our unity and compassion. We will continue to support one another in the time ahead as the recovery of this tragedy and Mauao continues.”
The latest Police statement is available here: www.police.govt.nz/news