Victim’s Brother Explains Why Whakaari / White Island Should Reopen To Tourists

• Originally Posted by Māori Television

Whakaari should be reopened to tourists, according to Mark Inman, brother of Hayden Marshal-Inman who died in Whakaari last year.

Marshall-Inman, a 40-year-old tour guide from Whakatāne, was one of 22 people who lost their lives in the eruption, a tragedy that forever changed the lives of a tight-knit and whānau community on that fateful day.

The 40-year-old man’s body was never recovered.

But Inman cites Mount Everest as a reason to reopen White Island sightseeing.

“The beautiful maunga that is in the face of the risk of going there can be compared to Everest. There are many whanau who have lost loved ones there, but still go there.

Worth the risk

“If he did not return to Whakaari, Hayden would be disappointed,” says his brother.

“You can spend a lot of money on the most expensive equipment in the world, you can sign exemptions, you can analyze and mitigate the risk, but at the end of the day adventure tourism is adventure tourism.”

Inman says he cannot comment on the news that helicopter pilots who rescued some of the eruption survivors on Dec. 9 last year were charged with crimes related to the events of the eruption by WorkSafe, but asks : the heroism of everyday kiwis, what kind of society are we becoming? “

Inman himself, a commercial pilot, had wanted to try to land to rescue his brother’s body, but was warned when aviation officials began to worry about the continued eruptions on the island.