‘Gifted’ 10-Year-Old Boy and Grandmother Identified as Victims of Deadly Landslides, Recovery Efforts for Missing Continue

Two victims of the deadly landslides that damaged homes and affected a popular tourist area in New Zealand have been identified.

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, New Zealand Police confirmed in a news release that Austen Keith Richardson, 10, and his grandmother, Yao Fang, 71, were killed after a landslide struck near Mount Maunganui — an extinct volcanic dome known for its beaches and walking trails.

Police said the pair were inside a home on Welcome Bay Rd in Pāpāmoa when the property was extensively damaged during the disaster on Thursday, Jan. 22. Their deaths have been referred to the coroner.

“Austen and his grandmother had an incredibly close relationship – with Austen affectionately calling her Nai Nai,” the family said in a statement provided to police.

Austen was the only child of parents Keith and Angel, and Fang’s only grandchild. The family said they moved to New Zealand from Shanghai, China, when Austen was eight months old, and that Fang spent long periods of time with them in New Zealand.

The statement noted that Austen had recently finished at Arataki School, where he was in a Montessori class, and had been accepted to Bethlehem College, where he was due to begin Year 7.

The family described him as a talented musician who loved playing piano, building Lego, riding motorbikes, Pokémon, and solving math problems. They also shared a recent memory from the weekend before the tragedy, when they visited the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival and surprised him with what they called his dream motocross bike.

The family said Austen had many friends through the Annual Honda Kids Camp at Lake Rotoiti, spoke fluent Mandarin, and enjoyed visiting China with relatives.

They also spoke about Fang’s life and role within the family, describing her as deeply caring and generous. According to the statement, Fang worked as an architect in China while raising Angel as a single parent. The family said she loved New Zealand’s outdoors, helped grow a large vegetable garden, cared for the family’s chickens, and attended Chinese Methodist Church in Greerton.

“We are absolutely devastated by the loss of our treasured son and his beloved Nai Nai,” the family said, adding that their thoughts were also with others affected by the Mount Maunganui tragedy.

A police cordon on Welcome Bay Rd was lifted on Sunday morning, despite multiple properties being destroyed, The New Zealand Herald reported. A neighbor told the outlet that Austen and Fang were “amazing people,” describing the family as the kind of neighbors who were always willing to help others.

Chalium Poppy, the director of music at St Peter’s Anglican Church in Mount Maunganui, told the Herald he had a lesson scheduled with Austen on the day the landslide struck. After hearing concerns about Austen’s absence, Poppy said the news of his death was difficult to process.

In a separate nearby landslide that hit a campsite at a popular tourist location on Jan. 22, multiple people were also reported missing. Two teens are among those still unaccounted for.

The Guardian reported the missing include 15-year-olds Sharon Maccanico and Max Furse-Kee, Lisa Maclennan, 50, longtime friends Jacqualine Wheeler and Susan Knowles, both 71, and Swedish national Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20.

Over the weekend, Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said the operation had shifted into a recovery phase.

“Search teams have been working through the slip layer by layer, but tragically it is now apparent that we will not be able to bring them home alive,” Anderson said, according to The Guardian, adding that families had been informed.

The Guardian also reported that human remains were found on Friday and that formal identification is underway. Search efforts paused on Sunday due to unstable conditions but resumed this week.

New Zealand Police said in a news release on Monday, Jan. 26, that recovery efforts had restarted following advice from two independent geotechnical experts, after the area was previously considered too hazardous for teams to enter.

Anderson said surveillance equipment is being used to monitor conditions in real time to help keep teams safe, noting that even small ground movements can be detected.

He added that recovery teams are continuing to work carefully through the site, and warned that the operation could take time due to ongoing risks and unstable terrain.