Authorities formally identified 16-year-old Max Furse-Kee on Jan. 28 as one of six people killed when a landslide struck a campground on Mount Maunganui on Jan. 22. His body was recovered on Jan. 26 and will be released to his family. The slide also killed his 15-year-old girlfriend, Sharon Maccanico, and four other adults; a separate landslide that day destroyed a home in Pāpāmoa, killing a child and his grandmother. Recovery teams are conducting a slow, millimetre-by-millimetre search as families mourn.
16-Year-Old Max Furse-Kee Identified After Deadly Mount Maunganui Landslide; Recovery Efforts Continue
Max Furse-Kee.New Zealand Police
Authorities have formally identified 16-year-old Max Furse-Kee as one of the victims of the devastating landslide that struck a campground on the slopes of Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, on Jan. 22. The court identification took place on Jan. 28 — the day that would have been his 16th birthday — after search teams recovered his body on Jan. 26.
Senior Constable Robert Stokes confirmed the recovery to Tauranga District Court, and Deputy Chief Coroner Brigitte Windley noted the timing of the identification, saying, "Sadly, today he would have turned 16." Furse-Kee’s body will be released to his family.
The landslip at the popular campground killed six people in total, including Furse-Kee and his 15-year-old girlfriend, Sharon Maccanico. Other victims named by authorities are Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50; Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20; Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71; and Susan Doreen Knowles, 71.
First responders at the scene of the Mount Maunganui landslide on Jan. 23.Ben STRANG / AFP via Getty
Police also reported a separate, fatal landslide on the same day in Pāpāmoa that destroyed a house on Welcome Bay Road and killed a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother. That property was described as "extensively damaged" by officers.
Recovery Operations Underway
Recovery teams — including police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand's Urban Search and Rescue, and contracted heavy machinery operators — continue a painstaking search of the campground site.
"Police, supported by Fire and Emergency New Zealand's Urban Search and Rescue and contractor drivers, have reached the area where the ablution block was, and they are continuing the painstaking effort to gently dig through the slip," said Inspector Will Loughrin, Acting Bay of Plenty District Commander. "The reason the work is so time consuming is because we are digging millimetres at a time. We can’t rush this work, and we won’t rush it."
Police said recovery teams are "making good progress but they still have days of work ahead of them" as they search for any remaining victims and clear debris.
First responders search for victims following the Mount Maunganui landslide on Jan. 22.DJ MILLS / AFP via Getty
Family Mourns
Furse-Kee’s family paid tribute through a police statement, describing him as "incredible, kind, and beautiful." His mother wrote: "My love for Max is impossible to explain, no words are big enough to describe this love or loss. From the moment I first looked at his beautiful blue eyes almost 16 years ago, he had my whole heart — he was my sunshine."
Friends and relatives remembered him for the joy he found in close friendships and the central role he played in his community. "Life without Max is impossible to imagine," the family said, adding that they are "endlessly proud of who he is and that he is ours."
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the slips and to support affected families. Recovery and identification work remains ongoing.
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