The search for those unaccounted for in the Mount Maunganui landslide has entered its fourth day - although now the operation is in a recovery phase.

Six people are unaccounted for after a large slip swept through the Beachside Holiday Park at the base of the mountain.

They include two Pakuranga College students who are aged 15, two 71-year-old friends from Rotorua, a 50-year-old Morrinsville school tutor, and a 20-year-old Swedish tourist. 

Police say it's highly unlikely any of the six are alive, and some human remains have been found at the site. 

The council says there will be an independent review into how the disaster happened and what decisions were made.

Police Senior Constable Barry Shepherd, who is leading the search for police, says it's a huge operation.

"There's a lot of dirt, a lot of mud, and there's some people in there somewhere. And we are desperately looking for them, it's a big job." 

LISTEN ABOVE

• Long-time camping friends among six lost in Mount Maunganui landslide
• 'We are desperately looking for them': Police say slip search slow and tricky
• Walkers seen perching precariously above slip nearly two hours after local called 111
• Faces of Mt Maunganui: Rotorua grandmother, Italian teen, Swedish tourist among missing
• 'Where was anybody to warn us?': Camper blasts lack of evacuation before Mount slip
• Police release names of six unaccounted for in Mt Maunganui landslide