A tour company with exclusive access to Whakaari/White Island paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in licensing fees every year.
White Island Tours general manager Patrick O’Sullivan gave evidence in WorkSafe’s ongoing trial against the island’s three owners, their company, and two other tourism companies.
Multiple helicopter companies also paid fees to conduct tours of the island, but only White Island Tours could carry visitors via boat. White Island Tours previously pleaded guilty to charges laid by WorkSafe after an eruption killed 22 people and injured 25 others in 2019.
White Island Tours also paid a 12 percent commission for every ticket sold.
Hodge asked O’Sullivan how much his company had paid in the year before the eruption.
The island’s owners Andrew, James and Peter Buttle held meetings to discuss the state of the island, O’Sullivan said.
The Buttles’ defence lawyer James Cairney said White Island Tours had no reason to believe it was doing anything wrong.
O’Sullivan said White Island Tours had provided a safety declaration document to cruise companies through middleman Tauranga Tourism Services, which is also on trial.
Survivors previously described a lack of safety warnings on the day of the eruption.
Credit: sunlive.co.nz
