Whakaari victims awarded more than $10m in reparations
Victims of the Whakaari/white Island eruption and their families have been awarded more than $10 million in total reparations.
In the Auckland District Court yesterday, Judge Evangelos Thomas delivered sentences for five companies that took tourists to the volcanic island before the fatal eruption in 2019.
Twenty-two people died in the eruption and 25 others were injured.
He said reparations would be paid by the islands’ owner Whakaari Management Limited, White Island Tours and the helicopter company Volcanic Air Safaris.
“I adopt an individual general sum of $250,000,” Judge Thomas said.
“That calculation provides for total reparation of $10.21 million.”
Thomas said the exact reparation amounts would be tweaked in some cases.
“I make certain adjustments to recognise those who died leaving behind dependant children, other families whose children suffered serious emotional distress, families who lost more than one loved one, those survivors who also lost family members, and the few who were fortunate enough to escape without any serious injury.”
He said each of the five companies involved had failed in their duties to assess and mitigate risk.
“None of the defendants had any volcanology expertise, they had to get risk assessments done by the appropriately qualified people,” he said.
“That failure [to do so] compromised everything else they did. That failure exposed others to risk of serious injury and death.”
Whakaari Management Limited was fined $1.045 million and ordered to pay $4.88 million in reparations to all of the victims and their families.
White Island Tours, which took visitors to the island via boat, was fined $517,000 and ordered to pay $5 million in reparations to the victims involved in its tours.
Volcanic Air Safaris Ltd, one of three helicopter operators that conducted tours, was fined $506,000 and ordered to pay $330,000 in reparations to the victims involved in its tours.
Volcanic Air Safaris was the only helicopter operator on the island when it erupted.
Two other operators, Aerius and Kahu NZ, were fined $290,000 and $196,000 respectively but were not ordered to pay reparations.