Criminal conviction thrown out for owners of New Zealand island volcano where 22 died in an eruption

The criminal conviction of the owners of the Whakaari volcano in New Zealand, where 22 tourists died in an eruption, was overturned by a judge, ruling that the company did not have a duty to ensure safety at the site. The decision followed an appeal against charges laid by New Zealand’s workplace health and safety regulator, with the case impacting the country’s adventure tourism industry by requiring operators to inform customers of risks. The ruling stated that the company, Whakaari Management, only granted access to the land and should not have been considered responsible for managing safety at the workplace.

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