The owners of a New Zealand volcano that erupted in 2019, killing 22 people, appeal their conviction

Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The owners of an island volcano in New Zealand that erupted in 2019, killing 22 people, are appealing their company’s criminal conviction on safety breaches at the High Court in Auckland. The hearing, which began Tuesday, is scheduled to take three days. Whakaari Management granted tour operators access to Whakaari or White Island at the time of the eruption. The company was convicted on a safety charge after a trial that ended last October, with millions of dollars in fines and restitution ordered. The company is challenging the judge’s finding that as landowners, they were managing a workplace and were therefore responsible for safety there.