The brother of a Whakaari/White Island victim says he's disappointed that White Island Tours was one of 13 entities which have been charged by WorkSafe.
Today WorkSafe filed charges against 13 parties as part of its investigation into last December’s White Island eruption, which killed 22 people.
Mark Inman says this is not what his brother Hayden Marshall, who was killed in the eruption, would have wanted.
“He would be hugely disappointed in the fact that potentially some of his friends have been charged. They all did the best of their ability and ran a professional outfit at Whakaari/White Island and for him to find that out he would be hugely disappointed,” Inman told 1 NEWS.
“It’s a time for the community to come together and not worry about the investigation at this stage,” he said.
Marshall-Inman stayed on the island to help those badly injured, but his body has not been found.
“It’s affected the community massively. The first responders and the medics. We have got to be mindful of everybody in the community, it's a time to pull together and be strong,” Inman said.
Just days out from the first anniversary of the tragedy, 10 parties are facing criminal charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act and are facing a maximum fine of $1.5 million.
Three individuals are also being criminally charged as directors or individuals who were required to exercise due diligence to ensure the company met its health and safety obligations.
Four entities have so far waived their right to name suppression after the charges were laid, prior to the first hearing on December 15.
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