A New Zealand tour company has been found guilty of not “minimising risk” to 22 people who died in the 2019 White Island volcano disaster.
Judge Evangelos Thomas criticised what he said were “astonishing failures” by Whakaari Management Limited (WML) - which licenses tours to the island.
The case is the largest action of its kind brought by New Zealand’s regulator, Worksafe NZ.
The company faces up to NZ$1.5m ($928,000; £724,000) in fines.
The December 2019 eruption killed 22 - almost half of the people who were on the island at the time. Most were tourists, including 17 from Australia and three from the US.
Another 25 people were injured, with many suffering extensive burns.
The volcano, known by its Māori name of Whakaari, had been showing signs of heightened unrest for weeks before the fatal eruption.
It is New Zealand’s most active volcano and had been erupting in some form since 2011.
Thirteen parties were charged over the disaster. WML was the last to receive a verdict after six had pleaded guilty, while six more had their charges dismissed.
Sentences will be passed in February.
Blimey … deaths and injuries were far worse than I remembered … 
I’m glad for all those affected that someone’s been held to account.