White Island: Business found responsible for the unpopular NZ volcano
22 individuals lost their lives in the 2019 White Island volcanic tragedy, and a New Zealand corporation has been held guilty of not "minimising risk" to them.
Judge Evangelos Thomas criticized Whakaari Management for what he called "astonishing failures".
White Island tour permits are issued by Whakaari Management.
Worksafe NZ, the regulatory body in New Zealand, is bringing the biggest action of its sort in this instance.
Penalties for the corporation may total up to NZ$1.5m ($928,000; £724,000).
Thirteen persons were accused in relation to the accident; six of them entered guilty pleas, while the other six had their charges dropped.
Tour operators' trial in the NZ volcanic catastrophe has begun
The constantly active volcano that is privately owned
A second complaint against the corporation regarding the safety of its own employees was also dropped by the court.
The company's owners, James, Andrew, and Peter Buttle, inherited the volcano and granted licenses to other companies so they could conduct tours.
Whakaari Management "managed and controlled" the active volcano, according to the court.
Since 2011, White Island, commonly referred to as Whakaari in Maori, has been experiencing some kind of eruption.
Nearly half of the 47 persons on White Island—17 from Australia, 3 from the US, and 2 from New Zealand—were killed when it erupted on December 9, 2019. Twenty-five more persons were hurt, several of whom had severe burns.
Since the catastrophe, visitors to White Island have not come back.
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