Neil Sands
The High Court on Friday quashed a conviction against the owners of Whakaari/White island over a 2019 volcanic explosion that killed 22 people and seriously injured another 25.
Whakaari Management Limited (WML) appealed after it was found guilty in the District Court of breaching workplace safety laws, resulting in a $1,045,000 fine and an order to pay $4,880,000 reparation to victims of the eruption.
The High Court upheld the appeal in a judgment released on Friday, with Justice Simon Moore finding that WML, which is privately owned by the Buttle family, did not actively manage or control the workspace where guided walking tours were conducted.
Moore ruled that simply granting access to the land for walking tours was insufficient to impose a duty of care on WML and quashed the conviction.
The judgement can be found here.
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