Heavy rains wreak havoc in New Zealand, several people missing in landslide

By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Several people were missing following a landslide near a campsite in New Zealand’s North Island on Thursday, as heavy rains caused widespread damage, with homes being evacuated, thousands without power and roads closed.

Emergency services were responding to a landslide near a campsite in Mount Maunganui, a popular tourist spot in the Bay of Plenty region along the northern coast of New Zealand.

The campsite has been evacuated and emergency services are working to locate anybody who remains in the area, police said in a statement.

Local media reports said helicopters have also been deployed to support ongoing search and rescue efforts.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on X that he was “actively monitoring situations across the country – including the major incident in Mt Maunganui”, adding extreme weather continues to cause dangerous conditions across the North Island.

Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell said on Radio NZ that the heavy rains hit almost the entire eastern seaboard of the North Island.

“The good news is everyone responded very quickly. There was time to get prepared, and that helps to mitigate and create a strong response,” he said.

New Zealand Transport Authority reported a number of main road closures in Northland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato. Local authorities said some small communities remain cut off due to damage to the roads.

New Zealand forecaster MetService has lifted all weather warnings in the North Island as the tropical low moves east. Some warnings remain in place for the South Island, but they are expected to ease on Thursday, it added.

(Reporting by Lucy CraymerEditing by Rod Nickel and Alistair Bell)