The Mount Strong Mount Landslide Charity Auction was organised by Mount Mellick owner Carl Willets, Mount Mellick manager Sean Major, Greg Bopf of Ray White Tauranga, and Mark Roy of Ray White Bayfair. Photo / Kelly O'Hara

Hopes Mount charity auction will help community heal

Author: Bijou Johnson,
Publish Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2026, 3:10pm

A surf lifesaving leader is hoping a charity auction in Mount Maunganui this weekend will draw a big crowd – both to help the community heal and raise needed funds.

The Mount Strong Mount Landslide Charity Auction kicks off at 11am this Saturday at the Mount Mellick.

Proceeds will go towards the families of the six people who died in the January 22 Mauao landslide, and to help the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, which still cannot return to its building.

The fundraiser was organised by Mark Roy of Ray White Bayfair, Greg Bopf of Ray White Tauranga, with the Mount Mellick’s owner Carl Willetts and manager Sean Major.

People could turn up on the day – no tickets required – to enjoy live music while bidding on donated auction items.

Live music acts included Damo Innes, Sean O’Hooligan, Scott Kittelty, James Gamble, Angelo Cruzat, Joseph Griffiths and Sammie Campbell.

Roy said everyone was encouraged to come down.

The public could support the event by buying food and beverages or making direct donations to the surf club. Lifeguards would be present with donation buckets.

T-shirts would also be available to purchase as memorabilia.

Roy said local support for the event had been “overwhelming”, with backing from a range of businesses.

“Everybody’s getting on board.”

Two laps in an Aston Martin Vulcan at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell would be the premium item at the charity auction. Photo / Supplied

Ray White auctioneer Wayne Olver would run the auction in three sessions.

Premium items would be auctioned in session two, with sports memorabilia under the hammer next.

The section two standout item – two laps in the only Aston Martin Vulcan in the Southern Hemisphere – was “bound to attract plenty of interest”, Roy said.

Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell donated the item.

The 7-litre V12-powered vehicle was one of only 24 in the world, and the most expensive production car in New Zealand with a $4.2 million price tag.

Other headline auction items included a Land Rover Defender weekend with an off-road experience at Red Barn, $4000 from Z Fuel, a $5000 package from Wharekauhau Lodge, rugby league jerseys, and premium hospitality packages.

West Indies cricket legend Chris Gayle had donated a signed cricket bat for auction, Roy said.

Fencing around the red-placarded Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service building. Photo / Corey Fleming

Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service president Russell Reardon said the event was about paying due respect to the situation and looking to the next phase, alongside the community.

“We want to encourage people to come along, enjoy the occasion, and contribute where they can – even if they just enjoy the occasion."

Reardon said the community as a whole needed to heal, and the auction was “a good step in that direction”.

“If people are out and about, and they’re looking for something to do, we’d love to see a lot of people at the auction.”

The club had not decided how it would use the donated money.

It was operating without any income, so the funds would be “useful wherever they end up”.

The service’s headquarters on Adams Ave was evacuated after the fatal landslide at the nearby Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.

The lifeguard building remains red-placarded – deemed unsafe to enter – due to the risk of another landslide.

Rescue equipment was moved to a Portacom and storage container further down Main Beach, near the Commons Ave toilet block.

Reardon said there had been no developments regarding the premises.

“We’re still waiting.”

Geotech assessments were ongoing, with findings expected towards the end of June.

Auction items

Items going under the hammer at the Mount Strong Mount Landslide Charity Auction on Saturday (and donors).

Session one

Maher Shoes Voucher $200 + $750 Bond & Co gift pack
Fit Nation – two 10-session concession cards and two shirts, with a total value of $500 (Clayton Mitchell)
McKenzie & Willis Mount Maunganui Lamp
Media Masters voucher $500 (Jahl Marshall)
Tommy Wilson art print (Jo Veale)
White Cross artwork (Jo Veale)
Quest Mount Maunganui two-night stay + $200 Fife Lane voucher
Hyundai NZ / Al Brown gift pack (Andy Sinclair)
Mr Homes Inspector – two house inspections (Duncan Cameron)
Mr Pink Plumbing full-house water filtration system (Brad and Tammy Holley)
Mount Maunganui art piece worth $10,000.

Session two

All Blacks signed rugby ball – Ian Jones, Josh Kronfeld & Kieran Read (Ray White New Zealand)
Two Joseph Parker signed boxing gloves (Rowan Robinson & Locky Mulholland, Joseph Parker, Duco/David Higgins)
Chris Gayle signed cricket bat (Chris Gayle, Locky Mulholland, Duco/David Higgins)
Shona Moller Art Gallery artwork
Shane van Gisbergen signed cap (Dylan Turner)
$2500 P3 Membership
Z Energy $4000 fuel voucher (Dave & Lynette Gillies)
Range Rover weekend + Clarence Bistro dining + Sisters & Co experience (Ebbett Prestige)
Land Rover Defender weekend + Red Barn off-road experience (Ebbett Prestige)
Aston Martin Vulcan 2 laps (Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell)
$5000 Wharekauhau Country Estate luxury package with dinner and accommodation. (Richard Rooney and Bill Foley).

Session three

Gold Coast Titans Indigenous jersey
Manly Sea Eagles signed jersey
Signed Cronulla Sharks jersey (Rebecca and Leanne Heywood)
Signed Warriors jersey
Signed Chiefs 2026 jersey – (Mike Delany/Unite Insurance, Chiefs)
Signed Steamers 2026 jersey – (Mike Delany/Unite Insurance, BOP Steamers).

Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.