A professor whose wife was killed in the CTV building collapse in Christchurch has written to the Prime Minister calling for independent oversight of the Tauranga City Council after the damning review of the deadly Mount Maunganui landslide.
In a briefing sent to Christopher Luxon and Local Government Minister Simon Watts, Professor Maan Alkaisi requested independent monitoring of the council’s decision-making, and regular, transparent reporting to ensure all safety recommendations in the review by Paul Davison, KC, are implemented.
Alkaisi said there were potential parallels with the Mount tragedy and the CTV disaster, as known risks in both cases were not acted on.
He questioned how the Tauranga City Council (TCC) would act responsibly, given multiple geotechnical reports warning of a risk to life at the campground had not been acted on for more than two decades.
“How can you trust them that they will actually do the job without any monitoring, without any external input and without guidance to ensure that they do the right job this time?” he told the Herald.
Professor Maan Alkaisi represents families of those who died in the CTV building collapse in 2011. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Before the collapse of the CTV building, there were known deficiencies with the design of the building.
One hundred and fifteen people, including Alkaisi’s wife, Dr Maysoon Abbas, perished when the six-storey building pancaked in seconds during the 2011 earthquake.
“There are a lot of lessons that are not being learned, and that’s what triggered me to say something about it [the Mount tragedy],” he said.
Davison’s review found systemic failures at the council and didn’t blame any individual – a conclusion that frustrated Alkaisi.
“We’ve been through this with the CTV collapse, with the Pike River explosion and there are all sorts of excuses to get out of any accountability,” he said.
Six people died when a landslide smashed into the Mount Maunganui campground toilet and shower block on January 22.
TCC chief executive Marty Grenfell, who refused to resign after Davison’s report, has said he’s best placed to rectify problems at the council and oversee the review’s recommendations.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mark Mitchell
A spokeswoman for Luxon told the Herald the TCC’s commitment to implement Davison’s recommendations was welcome.
“Local Government Minister Simon Watts has written to all councils seeking an assurance that problems such as those identified in Tauranga do not exist on a wider scale,” she said.
Luxon’s spokeswoman didn’t respond to questions about Alkaisi’s request for Government intervention and oversight.
A spokeswoman for the TCC said council understood and respected Professor Alkaisi’s concerns.
“His experience gives it real weight, and the question of how the community can be confident in change is a fair one to ask,” she said.
The spokeswoman said the council is “committed” to implementing the review recommendations and its approach to this will be considered at a meeting on Tuesday.
“Independent input and external assurance are being actively considered as part of that response,” she said.
The known risks before the deadly Mount landslide
There are calls for council bosses to take personal accountability.
The Herald revealed last Friday that a 2025 geotechnical report from engineering consultancy HD Geo, which warned of a risk to life at the campground, was sent to multiple councillors who did not read it.
Former TCC councillor John Robson said councillors often didn’t read reports “until the last minute”.
“I think it’s unacceptable, I think it’s unprofessional, but it’s not unusual,” he told the Herald.
He also questioned Davison’s public statements when he announced his review’s findings.
Paul Davison, KC, was the author of the Tauranga City Council's review into the death of six people at Mount Maunganui. Photo / Alyse Wright
During last Tuesday’s press conference, when asked by the Herald whether any reports warning of landslides, rockfalls and fatalities reached people in senior positions at the council, Davison said, “That’s the very point of my report. It didn’t happen.
“As far as I’ve been able to ascertain, in the more recent period where it’s been more evident, the reports have not gone to senior people at all.”
Grenfell backed up the comments, saying reports warning of risks were not elevated to senior people who could ensure action was taken.
However, the Herald has revealed the 2025 HD Geo report was authorised by the TCC’s then general manager of community services, Barbara Dempsey.
Dempsey was a member of the council’s executive team, and during her tenure she acted as chief executive when Grenfell was on leave.
The terms of reference for Davison’s review were not to establish civil, criminal or disciplinary liability for any individual.
However, Robson questioned Davison’s statement that no senior staff received such reports.
Former Tauranga City Council councillor John Robson. Photo / Andrew Warner
The Herald asked Davison if he spoke to Dempsey during his inquiries, but he is yet to respond.
Dempsey, who now works for Waipā District Council, is also yet to respond to questions, including whether she read the report.
The Herald asked former TCC chief financial officer Paul Davidson if he signed off on the commissioning of the June 2025 report, or an earlier December 2023 report from the same engineering consultancy that also warned of risks.
“No, I didn’t sign off commissioning of reports and have no knowledge of them,” he said.
He said overall budgets are compiled by the finance team for council approval, but don’t detail precisely how money is spent.
In late 2020, Robson and all other councillors were sacked amid concerns over dysfunction and infighting at the TCC and replaced by a Government-appointed commission.
Grenfell, who also said he never had knowledge of risks, continued as chief executive and has held the role for eight years.
Robson said Grenfell was a “good guy” but questioned if he was the right person to continue to lead the council.
He believed Grenfell would eventually resign.
“I would hope he’s reflecting right now.”
Grenfell has previously said he is the best person to implement change.
“I have been involved in this organisation for eight years. I know it better than anybody. I’m best placed to drive the changes.”
Police, WorkSafe and the Government are carrying out separate inquiries into the Mount landslide.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the _Herald_s video team in July 2024.
