Page 12 - Peter Buttle News Today

Two years ago New Zealand’s Whakaari volcano eruption killed 22 people and changed the lives of many others forever

Trial likely 2023 for defendants accused of negligence by WorkSAFE New Zealand following volcano eruption on White Island

By Sarah Robson, RNZ The 13 defendants accused of health and safety breaches in the lead up to the deadly Whakaari eruption will go to trial in 2023. There

Trial likely 2023 for defendants accused of negligence by WorkSAFE New Zealand following volcano eruption on White Island

With the justice system "crumbling under Covid", the trial of 13 organisations and individuals in the wake of the eruption has been pushed to July 10, 2023.

Setting a date for the trial - which is set to last four months - is a priority, Judge Evengelos Thomas told the court.

The government wants to bring in tougher safety rules for adventure activity operators, in response to the deadly 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption.

The government wants to bring in tougher safety rules for adventure activity operators, in response to the deadly 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption.

The case is due back in court next month, but Judge Evangelos Thomas has previously said a substantive trial is still some way off.

More than one-and-a-half years since the Whakaari eruption, defendants enter not guilty pleas.