A close family member of a tour guide who died in the Whakaari White Island eruption in 2019 has given an emotional statement at the inquest into the deaths, saying there remained many unanswered questions from bereaved families — particularly for the tour operators.

Forty-seven people were on the volcano in the Bay of Plenty, 48 kilometres from the east coast of the North Island, when it erupted in December 2019, killing 22 and seriously injuring 25.

The coronial inquest aims to re-establish the facts of the case and make findings and recommendations to prevent similar disasters.

It comes after a criminal prosecution by WorkSafe in 2024 that resulted in convictions of Whakaari Management Ltd (WML) — the company that charged tour operators licensing fees for each visitor to the island —

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