Police say six people including two teenagers are missing at Mount Maunganui after Thursday's landslip at a campsite, while they are seeking further information on three others.
Police District Commander Tim Anderson told media the youngest among the missing was a 15-year-old and another teenager was also missing.
"There has been speculation or discussion around children. The youngest ages are 15 years of age. So we're talking about youth or young people or teenagers."
Asked if it was just one teen among the missing, Anderson said: "two".
He said police did not believe the three people they were seeking information on were still in the area.
They may possibly have been overseas tourists, but police would like to confirm their whereabouts, he said.
Officials work at the scene of the landslide at the Beachside Holiday Park in Mt Maunganui on Thursday. Photo: Alan Gibson / Gibson Images Ltd
The slip came down at the Beachside Holiday Park at Mount Maunganui at about 9.30am on Thursday, smashing into campervans, tents, vehicles and an ablution block near the Mount Hot Pools.
FENZ assistant national commander David Guard, Regional Response Coordinator said it was still being treated as a rescue event.
Anderson said police would make a call "day by day" as to when the operation moves from a rescue to a recovery mission.
There had not been any signs of life beneath the rubble "as of today", Anderson says, "but we live in hope".
The slip at Mauao, Mount Maunganui as seen from the air. Photo: Screengrab / Amy Till
Guard would not confirm whether bodies had been recovered from the Mt Maunganui campground site.
"We are in the middle of a rescue operation and it would be insensitive on families to talk about that openly in the public arena."
That information will become public in time, he said.
Every inch of soil and debris removed from the site will be worked through, he said.
The agency was committed to staying on site until the situation had been brought to a conclusion, he said.
A large digger arrives at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park to help with the search operation. Photo: RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said initial indications were that there may have been a small slip in the early hours of Thursday morning, and some people were able to move away from the area.
How much warning there was would be addressed at a later date but the focus right now was on the rescue response, he said.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand was full of grief and what happened at Mt Maunganui was an absolute tragedy. He has spent the morning with families of some of those missing.
Luxon said he had seen neighbours and "friends of friends of friends" going to houses to help clear slips and debris and there was something inspiring to see community members reaching out and supporting neighbours in tough times.
Roads near the holiday park were closed in the immediate aftermath of the slip on Thursday. Photo: DJ Mills
Rescuers were "deeply deeply committed to doing everything they can to help find these loved ones," Luxon said.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams worked overnight in what authorities described as a complex and high-risk environment.
A far-reaching cordon is in place at Mount Maunganui which was closed following the slip.
Mount Maunganui local Robyn Leech whose apartment overlooks the slip on Friday morning said that crews had been furiously digging through the debris for nearly 24 hours.
The mood was eerie and sombre and the area was practically deserted, aside from Search and Rescue crews, police and security, she said.
The scene at Mt Maunganui on Friday. Photo: Supplied / Alan Gibson
An ambulance at Mt Maunganui on Friday. Photo: Supplied / Alan Gibson
A group of about 50 people, including media, had gathered at the cordon by 10.30am on Friday with locals concerned about the situation and looking for an update.
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell earlier said further slips at the campground where people remained missing were a "massive consideration".
Mitchell said the risks were clear from how two firefighters died in a secondary slip in Auckland during Cyclone Gabrielle.
"That is a major safety concern and one that is being taken seriously. There's geoscientists on site. We actually evacuated the Mt Maunganui Surf Lifesaving Club yesterday for exactly those reasons."
View of the scene at the landslide that crashed through the Beachside Holiday Park in Mt Maunganui. Photo: Supplied / Alan Gibson
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