NZ volcano eruption: we acted with all due care, says tour boss

Paul Quinn maintains his business acted responsibly in ferrying tourists to the White Island volcano, despite ongoing warnings it could blow.

White Island Tours chair Paul Quinn leaves after meeting with the family of Hayden Marshall-Inman, a New Zealand tour guide who was killed in the volcano tragedy. Picture: AFP

The boss of the tour company at the centre of the White Island tragedy has expressed his condolences to the family of an employee killed in the disaster, but maintains that his business acted responsibly in ferrying tourists to the active volcano, despite ongoing warnings it could blow.

White Island Tours chairman Paul Quinn met with the family of Hayden Marshall-Inam in Whaka­tane, 50km south of the island in the Bay of Plenty, on Thursday along with New Zealand Police Minister Stuart Nash.

The experienced tour guide, described as an energetic man with “the kindest heart”, was the first person to be confirmed dead after the 321m-high Whakaari volcano erupted about 2.15pm on Monday, killing up to 13 people and injuring more than 30 others.

Paul Quinn, chairman of White Island Tours talks with Police Minister Stuart Nash following a meeting with the family of volcano victim Hayden Marshall-Inman. Picture: AP

Questions are being raised as to why Mr Marshall-Inman and 46 others were given the go-ahead to visit the island, given that the government agency that monitors the site, GNS Science, had set its volcanic alert to level 2 — the highest level possible without an actual eruption taking place — three weeks earlier on November 18.

The scenic reserve, which had been privately owned by New ­Zealand’s Buttle family for more than eight decades, is big business in the region, generating about $4m annually for the family’s Whakaari Trust and five tour ­operators who take about 17,500 adventurers to its shores each year.

Tourists are allowed to land on the island only as part of an organised tour group and are given hard hats and gas masks to protect against the sulphurous steam. It is understood the tour companies, which pay the trust a fee to access the volcanic island, make individual assessments as to when it is safe to conduct tours.

Mr Quinn said White Island Tours, which won a national health and safety award just 12 month ago, continued to visit the island during level 2 alerts.

“GNS do the monitoring, and they advise us if there are any changes, and we operate around their guidelines in terms of what levels are stipulated,” he said.

“Level 3 and above we liaise more directly with GNS but that level 2 is still within our operational guidelines.”

He said his company’s first concern was assisting those affected by the disaster.

“There are many questions that are left to be answered but our ­priority at this time is on the welfare of those affected,” he said.

“At this stage, recovery of loved ones who are still on the island is of paramount concern and all of our resources including vessels, protection equipment and personnel have been made available to NZ Police and Civil Defence to support the recovery mission.

“We are committed to facilitating family members’ travel and other arrangements while we all await the return of loved ones to their families.”

On the eve of the eruption, ­scientists observed increased ­activity on the island but SNS ­Science volcanologist Brad Scott said there had not been any indication the volcano had actually erupted.

“The volcano didn’t erupt on Sunday evening — and as it didn’t erupt, we didn’t raise the alert level,” Mr Scott said.

Ray Cas, a volcanology expert at Monash University’s School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment who has visited White Island twice, told The Australian it had been “a disaster waiting to happen for many years”.

“White Island … experiences significant explosive eruptions every three to five years,” Emeritus Professor Cas said.

“It’s constantly in a state of ­unrest and to allow tourists to walk right to the edge of a very active volcano time and time again is ­unimaginably dangerous.”