The recovery operation at Mount Maunganui is now entering into week two after the deadly landslide at Mt Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.

So far, three of the six people police believe to be missing have been formally identified.

Morrinsville woman Lisa Anne Maclennan was formally identified at a Coroner’s Court hearing in Tauranga today.

Max Furse-Kee, who would have turned 16 yesterday, and Måns Loke Bernhardsson, a 20-year-old Swedish tourist, were identified at separate Coroner’s Court hearings on yesterday.

Police believe Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71; Susan Doreen Knowles, 71; and Sharon Maccanico, 15 were also caught up in the landslide and have yet to be formally identified.

Bay of Plenty district commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said recovery teams working at Mount Maunganui have made good progress in recent days, however there’s still a lot of work to do.

“Due to the nature of the work being undertaken, we do not have a timeline on when work will be complete,” Anderson said in a statement today

“We are here for those grieving and for the families that have lost loved ones in this tragedy. The teams on scene are doing a great job at looking after each other, and we all want to reunite families with their loved ones.”

As this operation reaches week two, Anderson said it gave a great indication of the sheer scale of what we are working with here.

He said police continue to call on staff from out of district.

Since the landslide on Thursday, January 24, police have utilised hundreds of specialised staff across a number of workgroups.

“Over the course of the last week, police staff from several districts have come into the region to assist with the recovery operation, as well as relieve some of our staff who have worked incredibly hard,” Anderson said.

“It has been warm [temperature] the last couple of days, so we need to maintain our focus on staff safety.”

Specialist technology remains in place

Technology that was sent up from Wellington on Sunday remains in place and Anderson said it has been a “great contributor to the safety of staff working at the scene”.

“It was imperative that this technology was brought up and installed, and we have already seen success in its purpose, when staff were alerted to an issue with excess water within the scene on Thursday, January 29, suspending search efforts temporarily.

“While there is no way for us to control a natural hazard, the technology has greatly assisted our recovery teams by providing another safety method for those who are working meticulously to bring people back to their loved ones.”