Raoul Island DOC workers' future uncertain after Whakaari/White Island eruption

Thursday, 10 December 2020

Rangers face an uncertain future on a remote volcanic island as safety standards are revisited in the fallout from the Whakaari/White Island eruption.

The Department of Conservation is reviewing the nature of the work it undertakes on New Zealand's northernmost outpost, Raoul Island.

Located 1100km north-northeast of New Zealand, the island has been permanently manned by the New Zealand government since 1937.

But staff were evacuated when the country went into level 4 Covid-19 lockdown in March, and have not been back since.

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DOC Whangārei operations manager Louisa Gritt said the department is looking at improving safety procedures and assessing the work staff undertake on the island.

“Staff are not currently stationed on the island and no decisions have been made yet as to when they will return,” she said.

It's not known what the handful of are doing in the meantime.

The review was undertaken in late 2019 after the Whakaari eruption, which killed 22 people.

WorkSafe has since charged 13 organisations in relation to the period leading up to the eruption.

Dangers of life on Raoul

Raoul can be a hazardous place, far from civilization, medical assistance or rescue if anything were to go wrong.

Rangers are often deployed on year-long contracts to the island where they scout for weeds, complete maintenance work and monitor wildlife.

In the past 15 years two DOC workers have died on the island.

In 2006, Mark Kearney was killed in an eruption as he was collecting temperature readings from the volcano's crater lake.

The crater was filled with ash and the lake rose about eight metres. Despite a search, Kearney’s body was never recovered.

DOC and GNS Science were cleared of any wrongdoing in that instance as a Department of Labour investigation found the eruption could not have been predicted.

But only six years later, DOC pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of a volunteer who died on the island.

Romanian biologist Mihai Muncus-Nagy was believed to have been swept off rocks while collecting water samples in January 2012. His body was never recovered.

Changes were made to safety procedures following the deaths.

Readings of crater conditions are now done with specialised remotely-controlled equipment, which is occasionally serviced.

The use of locator beacons and GPS tracking equipment are now compulsory on Raoul Island.

Plaques have been erected on the island and walking tracks named in memory of the two men.