Overview
- Detective Sergeant Simon Nolan testified that the first 111 call came at 2:16pm, a maritime mayday followed at 2:37pm, and tour boat The Phoenix departed the island at 2:54pm with 26 rescued victims and its original passengers.
- Paramedics boarded The Phoenix at 3:30pm, while responders shifted staging areas in Whakatāne and set up triage at the airport due to hospital capacity limits.
- The inquiry is probing the decision not to return to the island after police believed no survivors remained, along with delays and technology limits in inter-agency communications.
- Evidence shown included a 3D simulated map, videos and photos from the day, with 49 witnesses scheduled over roughly eight weeks, including survivors and responders.
- Families of the 22 dead and 25 seriously injured sought answers on tour operators’ risk assessments, with prior convictions noted and Whakaari Management Ltd’s conviction later quashed on appeal.