Charter company fined over safety breaches on New Zealand White Island

Charter Company Fined Over Safety Breaches on New Zealand White Island

A New Zealand charter company has been fined $227,500 for health and safety breaches connected to Whakaari/White Island. Inflite Charters Limited pleaded guilty, taking accountability for failing to keep tour customers adequately protected.

The December 2019 Whakaari/White Island volcanic eruption killed 22 people, including 14 Australians. This tragedy remains one of New Zealand's most significant workplace safety failures involving tourism operations.

Court Ruling and Penalties

Inflite Charters Limited faced sentencing at Auckland District Court on Thursday. Alongside the $227,500 penalty, the court also ordered prosecution costs of $40,000 to be paid.

WorkSafe New Zealand Chief Executive Phil Parkes welcomed the guilty plea, noting it came at a reasonably early stage in proceedings. "It's encouraging to see Inflite Charters Limited plead guilty at this reasonably early stage in the court process and take accountability for not doing enough to keep people safe," Parkes said.

Timing Made All the Difference

Inflite Charters Limited had no customers on Whakaari/White Island at the moment of eruption, but had facilitated a tour there earlier that same day. According to Parkes, circumstances could have unfolded very differently.

"It very easily could have been their customers killed or harmed if the eruption had happened at a different time," he explained. Such a narrow margin highlights how quickly volcanic tourism operations can turn catastrophic.

A Broader Safety Message for Businesses

This case delivers a clear reminder to all businesses regarding ongoing safety obligations. Parkes stressed that companies remain responsible for keeping workers and customers healthy and safe throughout every phase of an operation — not merely while an activity takes place.

Responsibility begins when work gets planned and continues until it fully concludes. Organisations operating in high-risk environments, including adventure tourism, must build comprehensive risk assessments into daily operations, not just active excursions.

For businesses seeking guidance on strengthening workplace safety obligations, SafetyDocs offers resources tailored to organisations navigating similar compliance challenges, including our safety documents for New Zealand businesses and dedicated Hospitality HSWA documentation for New Zealand operators.

Related WorkSafe News

This ruling follows earlier news coverage of the same incident, when the operator initially pleaded guilty to charges. Read our previous coverage on the New Zealand tour company's guilty plea following the volcano eruption for further context on proceedings.

Other recent WorkSafe enforcement news includes a case where a New Zealand forestry company faced fines over a worker's arm injury, plus another matter involving a New Zealand company fined $500,000 following a wholly avoidable workplace death. Together, these cases underline WorkSafe's ongoing enforcement focus across multiple industries.

Strengthening Compliance Frameworks

Businesses across construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and tourism sectors can reduce exposure to similar penalties by maintaining robust management systems. Explore our New Zealand OHS/WHS management systems resources or review a comprehensive HSW Manual for New Zealand to support compliance obligations under current legislation.

View the original news release on the WorkSafe New Zealand website.