Widow makes plea

Widow Gloria Davis yesterday stepped out of the Invercargill courthouse, took a breath and made an emotional plea to company directors.

‘‘When you have no control over the farm or the boat or the business you should really remove yourself from the director role.’’

The plea was levelled at spouses also serving as directors of family-owned companies and came after Davis, the sole director of AZ1 Enterprises, was sentenced on three charges relating to the 2012 sinking of the Easy Rider.

AZ1 Enterprises was found guilty of the same charges.

Davis was sentenced to 350 hours’ community work and fined $3000. AZ1 Enterprises was fined $204,500.

At the sentencing Davis told the Invercargill District Court she accepted her responsibility, but was ‘‘too emotional’’ to say anything else.

Crown prosecutor Karen South said the tragedy was serious and preventable.

Real personal loss had been suffered by Davis and the families of the deceased, she said.

Families of the deceased had not wanted reparation, so no order was made, Judge John Strettell said.

Davis, a victim herself, had shown true remorse. However, breaches of the Maritime Transport Act and Health and Safety in Employment Act had serious consequences, he said.

The Easy Rider sinking resulted in the greatest loss of life in a New Zealand maritime tragedy since the Wahine, he said. Eight people died.

The judge said that Davis had known her husband, Rewai Karetai, was skippering the boat despite a lack of qualification.