Royal Commission Now: A Call for Truth, Accountability, and Justice for the Mount Maunganui Families
An update on David Lynch's Ministerial Briefing, a heartfelt tribute to Max Furse‑Kee and an offer to support the victim's families
New information from David Lynch confirms that the formal request for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Mount Maunganui landslide is still sitting with the government, with families and advocates now weighing up what to do if Ministers fail to treat the disaster with the seriousness it deserves.
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Where things stand one week on
In last week’s story, the central argument was simple: Tauranga City Council cannot credibly investigate itself while serious questions hang over hazard mapping, slope‑instability reports, and the handling of earlier slips and warnings.
David Lynch’s ministerial briefing – delivered as Parliament paused to acknowledge the six people killed at the Mount – asked Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to establish a full Royal Commission of Inquiry, not another council‑managed review.
The purpose of that briefing was explicit: “To recommend that the Government establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Mt Maunganui landslide on the grounds of public importance, loss of life, potential systemic failings, and the need for full independence from implicated authorities.” Lynch warned that without an independent, properly empowered inquiry, Mount Maunganui families risk being forced down the same 15‑year road CTV families have walked – “no justice, no accountability, and no closure.”
David Lynch: still waiting on a government response
Today, Lynch confirms that he is still waiting for the government to formally respond to the request made last Tuesday to convene a Royal Commission of Inquiry. He expects that once Ministers do respond, the next steps will become clearer, but if there is no timely response, he will need to consider further avenues to ensure the matter is treated with the seriousness it deserves.
Read Lynch’s Ministerial briefing
Download a copy of Lynch’s Ministerial Briefing here.
Thank you Sam Uffindell, MP for Tauranga
In the meantime, there is a small but important sign of political support: “Thank you to Sam Uffindell, MP for Tauranga, who I understand has made a commitment to a local resident that he will be willing to present any proposed petition to parliament to call on the government to urgently convene a Royal Commission of Inquiry.” Lynch is hopeful this will not be necessary if the government announces that it will convene one, but the option is clearly now on the table.
Why the call for a Royal Commission has only strengthened
Nothing that has emerged since the original article weakens the case for a Royal Commission; if anything, the case has hardened. Lynch’s briefing set out the usual criteria for a Royal Commission – loss of life, allegations of systemic or regulatory failure, an implicated authority that cannot credibly investigate itself, the need for public confidence, and nationally significant issues – and concluded that the Mount Maunganui landslide meets all of these tests.
Key concerns remain around how slope‑instability and hazard‑mapping decisions were made, why the fatal slip area appears to sit outside mapped hazard zones, and how earlier slip reports and warnings were handled before campers were allowed to stay beneath the hillside. As the original article put it, this is “the oldest move in the playbook”: the same council that signed off hazard maps, land‑use decisions and emergency plans now wants to run an “independent review” while the public is still in shock and families are still waiting to bring their loved ones home.
Lynch’s warning from Christchurch echoes loudly: a single, comprehensive and fully independent inquiry is “the only credible pathway to a full, fair, and unimpeded examination of the issues.” Put simply, the question is not just “why did the hillside move?” but “who knew what, when, and what did they do with that knowledge?”
A public message to the families
Lynch has also asked that a public message be shared with the family of one of the young people killed in the landslide, and with all those who lost loved ones. He does not know how to contact the families directly, but is willing – as he did for nearly 15 years with the CTV Families Group – to walk beside them if they want his help.
A message for Sharon Maccanico and all who loved Max Furse‑Kee, honouring his life at today’s private memorial service.
As the advocate for the CTV Families Group for nearly 15 years, I have walked beside many families whose lives were changed in an instant. That experience gives me only a small appreciation of what you, Sharon, and the families of the other five lives lost in the Mount Maunganui landslide are now facing. Nothing prepares a parent for this kind of heartbreak, nor eases the shock of losing someone so young and so loved.
Today, as you gather to honour Max, the 115 CTV families will be thinking of you. We know the early days of grief, the unanswered questions, and the fear that the truth might slip away unless someone stands firm. You will not be left to walk that path alone.
There is comfort in knowing Max spent his final days with his girlfriend, Sharon, sharing the simple freedom and joy of being together. But the circumstances that took them, and four others, must be understood with care and honesty. You have every right to seek answers.
As you reflect on Max’s life, please know that a wider community stands with you. The CTV families understand the weight of sudden loss and the strength required simply to keep going. We will be thinking of you and supporting your search for truth in the weeks and months ahead.
Max’s life mattered. His story matters. And so does yours, and that is why the circumstances of this tragedy must be fully understood.
Please know that we are here to support you and the families of the five others who were taken, and we will stand with you as you seek the answers you deserve.
David Lynch
Advocate – CTV Families Group
M: 021 226 9409
E: david@momentus.co.nz
Lynch invites any of the families who would like support or advocacy to contact him directly on the details above, explaining that his role is not to tell them what to do, but to help make sure their questions are heard and that hard truths are not allowed to slip quietly out of view.
What you can do now
The government has a clear choice: Establish a single, comprehensive, independent Royal Commission, or stand behind a fragmented set of inquiries in which Tauranga City Council remains at the centre of its own investigation. Watch both mainstream coverage and Beehive media releases closely and to hold decision‑makers to account, rather than assuming others would do the heavy lifting.
If you have expertise in geology, risk management, emergency response, governance or law, your voice matters now as terms of reference are shaped and political options are weighed. We the people can also talk to MPs, sign and share any petition that may emerge, and insist – calmly but firmly – that six deaths at a public campground beneath a known hillside are not treated as an unfortunate act of nature to be tidied away.
Max’s life mattered. The lives of the other campers who were killed mattered. Their families’ search for answers will help decide whether this becomes another slow‑grinding chapter in New Zealand’s disaster history, or a turning point where public safety, truth and accountability finally come first.
Read about Lynch’s approach to the NZ Govt
THANK YOU TO THE NEW MEDIA
Thank you to the outlets including Daily Telegraph, Good Oil, Waikanae Watch who have shared Lynch’s story. As we see the legacy media fail to report factually on many topics, alternative, credible sources of media are becoming the lifeblood of thinking New Zealanders. Why not share one piece of news a day from a credible independent news source?
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