Company that managed NZ White Island volcano, guilty of safety breaches

The management company of White Island, where a volcano eruption killed 22 people, mostly tourists, in 2019, was found guilty of one charge of breaching health and safety law in a New Zealand court on Tuesday.
Following the explosion on White Island, also known as Whakaari, the workplace regulator charged 13 parties in November 2020. Six of them, including the helicopter and boat tour operators, pleaded guilty. Charges against the other parties, except the management company, were dismissed.
District Court Judge Evangelos Thomas found Whakaari Management Ltd. (WML), which manages the island on behalf of the owners but did not undertake the tours, was guilty of one health and safety charge. A second charge was dismissed.
Thomas said WML controlled and managed the volcano as a workplace and as a result it needed to engage necessary expertise such as volcanology and health and safety expertise to assess risk arising from tours.