A Rotorua grandmother is believed to be among the victims of a landslide at a Mount Maunganui campground. 

Italian media have also named Sharon Maccanico, a 15-year-old from Avellino, Italy, as missing. 

Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said this afternoon the operation at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park is now a recovery rather than a rescue. 

Six people are unaccounted for and police are expected to release their names shortly. 

Italian teen Sharon Maccanico and Rotorua grandmother are believed to be among the missing after the Mount Maunganui landslide. 

NZME understands one is Sue Knowles, a grandmother and property manager for EVES in Rotorua. 

She is married to former Rotorua car dealer Robbie Knowles and they have two children, Krystie Lewis, who is the general manager for IT specialists iTCo Solutions, and BP Oil sales manager and drift car champion Rohan (Roady) Knowles. 

Sue Knowles was described on the EVES website as being a friendly and professional property manager who began her career in the industry in 2007. 

Outside of her work and close-knit family, it said she enjoyed horse riding, including trekking, hunting, and dressage — as well as mountain biking. 

Sue Knowles was hailed as hero in April 2023 when she saved the life of 5-year-old granddaughter who was being attacked by a dog. 

• 'Where was anybody to warn us?': Camper blasts lack of evacuation before Mount slip
• "More delays": Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman warns of delays on weather-related claims
• 6 people confirmed trapped under Mount Maunganui landslide, 3 still unaccounted for

Police, fire and emergency services at Mount Maunganui campground this morning. Photo / Jason Dorday 

Knowles was with her daughter and two young children who had travelled from Rotorua to Te Puna, Tauranga to buy a Black Russian Terrier puppy when she was attacked by another dog at the premises. 

When the sire of the puppy sunk its teeth into the little girl, Knowles, who was then aged 68, wrestled the dog to the ground and prised open its jaw releasing the little girl from its grasp. 

Knowles was described by her daughter on her Facebook page three years ago on Knowles’ birthday as “not just a great Mum and Granna … You’re the greatest woman I know.” 

The slip from Mauao came down at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on Thursday morning. 

Others yet to be accounted for 

Sharon Maccanico 

Italian media have named Maccanico as a 15-year-old from Avellino, Italy, now missing in the slip. 

She was thought to be living in Auckland since at least May 2024 with her family, with her Italian relatives taking to Facebook to ask their local community to join them in a prayer at a church service in Picarelli in hope of a miracle. 

A second teenager 

Police have confirmed two teenagers were among the six missing. 

With Sharon Maccanico named by media as one of the missing teens, it is not yet confirmed who the other teen is. 

Some reports suggested her sibling was also in the slip after local iwi said they spoke to an Italian father who had told them he had two children missing. 

Hero helper 

Witnesses, including local Alister McHardy, saw a man in a blue shirt (estimated to be in his early 50s) race into the debris between a caravan and a toilet block to save those trapped. 

However, they also reported he was “sandwiched” as the gap closed and disappeared into the slip. 

A Swedish tourist 

Sweden’s Foreign Affairs ministry has confirmed one of its citizens is unaccounted for in New Zealand. 

A woman trying to warn others 

A camper who went around rousing sleepers from their beds and calling into tents to warn people about the unstable hillside above is among the missing. She was believed to have been inside the toilet block when a second, larger landslide hit. 

Welcome Bay fatalities 

Two people were confirmed dead after a separate slip destroyed a home on Welcome Bay Road, Pāpāmoa. 

Welcome Bay Road, the scene of the double fatality. photo / Michael Craig 

They are believed to be a grandmother and her grandson. 

The grandmother was a woman of Chinese descent. Her grandson, believed to be 10, was described as a “bright” and inquisitive young piano student. 

Confirmation of the deaths came from a surviving family member who said, “It’s our house and our family lost.” 

A neighbour said a New Zealand man had lived in the area for a long time. He lived with his wife, their son, and his wife’s parents.