‘Really disrespectful’: Police slam people sneaking past Mount Maunganui cordons

People have been labelled “disrespectful” by NZ Police for continuing to climb Mount Maunganui after last week’s devastating landslides and flooding in the Bay of Plenty.

Authorities are continuing to urge people to steer clear of Mount Maunganui and the surrounding areas following the tragic storm, which has since seen nine people killed or presumed dead.

Civil Defence has reminded Kiwis that some areas are still struggling with limited resources, and any extra foot traffic could put extra pressure on emergency crews.

“A 30-metre exclusion zone around Mauao/Mount has been put in place by the Bay of Plenty Regional Harbourmaster. This applies to all vessels and people (including swimmers, paddle boarders, and kayakers),” The Civil Defence statement read. 

“Our thoughts continue to be with those still missing and their whānau, and everyone who has been impacted by the flooding and landslides we have seen over the last week, including across the country. We encourage you to check in and look out for one another.”

Despite repeat warnings, some people have reportedly been ignoring cordons and sneaking up the mountain. Senior Constable Barry Shepherd called the behaviour “really disrespectful” in an interview with NZ Herald.

“To those people that might think it's clever to sneak through the cordons or the boundaries, please don't. It's just really disrespectful, and we don't need that,” Shepherd said. 

There’s a lot of families hurting over this.

He added that access to the mountain remains closed under a rāhui set by local iwi and is expected to stay that way for “quite some time”.

Emergency services continue to focus on search and recovery, and as per Civil Defence’s reminder, the public is asked to follow instructions and allow them to get on with their work safely.

Meanwhile, in Northland, Whangārei District mayor Ken Couper is expected to announce this afternoon whether the region’s state of emergency will be lifted.

As the region continues to deal with the aftermath of the severe weather, those in the area must do their part - that means staying off the mountain and leaving emergency teams to focus on what matters most.