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.
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. Whakaari Management Ltd and the other entities, excluding Inflight Charters which had already been sentenced, are expected to be sentenced next year.Lawyers for Whakaari Management Ltd did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.