Source: Radio New Zealand
Surfers participated in a paddleout during the 2026 Grom Series. Supplied
Surfers participated in a paddleout on Saturday during the first event of the 2026 Billabong Grom Series to pay their respects to the victims of the Mount Maunganui landslide.
The paddleout was organised by Surfing New Zealand and Bay Boardriders, who are hosting the event at Tay Street Beach, Mount Maunganui.
Surfing New Zealand chief executive Ben Kennings said it was organised as a way to “go out and pay our respects”.
Kennings said people were coming to the event from all around the country to have fun and it was a good opportunity to acknowledge the lives lost in the landslip.
“Whenever we lose someone, the surf community does it,” Kennings said, referring to a paddleout, and he said it was a good way to acknowledge that things were “not normal” in Mount Maunganui.
Surfers included those participating in the event, as well as local surfers.
The second day of competition takes place on Sunday, one of three stops in the series, with the next event at Whangamatā, before finishing at Piha in late February.
State of Emergency extended
The State of Emergency declared for Tauranga following recent severe weather has been extended until Wednesday.
The Tauranga City Council said the focus remains firmly on supporting the recovery operation and the whanau of the six people who died in the landslide.
The memorial along the fenced-off area will remain, but all messages and momentos will be relocated to the He Maimai Aroha Community Care Centre, when the cordon is moved.
Business owners or residents inside the cordoned-off area will need a permit to get through the road closures with a vehicle, the Tauranga City Council said.
Earlier on Saturday, Fire and Emergency stood down its specialist Urban Search and Rescue team at Mount Maunganui.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
