Funds sought to defend Whakaari rescue pilot

Veteran pilot John Funnell wants to raise tens of thousands of dollars to fund the legal battle for a fellow pilot who was one of the first on the scene after the Whakaari eruption.

Kahu Helicopters, Volcanic Air and Aerius are all helicopter companies that operated tours to the island and are facing legal action. GNS, the National Emergency Management Agency and the owners of the island, the Buttles, have also been charged.

The charges relate to events before the eruption, and have nothing to do with the rescue and recovery afterwards.

Funnell was in the air during the rescue, directing the helicopters and communicating with those on the mainland. He has set up a fund for Mark Law, director of Kahu Helicopters, who rescued five people from the island, to help with legal battles as his business is now close to collapse. ‘‘Income wise, he in particular is in a very difficult situation but also so are all these other helicopter operators,’’ Funnell said. He estimated the legal bills could be in the tens of thousands, maybe more, for Kahu alone.

He said the aviation and wider community had come to him wanting to offer Law financial support. ‘‘A lot of people think WorkSafe have grossly overstepped the mark.’’

Funnell said Kahu had been a leader in setting up a recovery plan in the event of an emergency but WorkSafe did not agree.

In the event Law and the other helicopter companies were found guilty of breaches of the Health and Safety Act, they would not be in a position to pay the fines, he said. – RNZ