A foundation that aims to raise money to supply safety equipment to rock climbers around the country has partnered with Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust (ACAT) to relaunch after suffering theft losses of almost $30,000 by a former trustee.
American scientist Lauren Kimiyo Worrell fell to her death in August 2018 at Castle Rock near Whitianga, and an eponymous legacy fund was set up in her honour and incorporated as a charity in September 2018.
One of the fund’s trustees, Akshay Ogra, was convicted of theft of a person in a special relationship after he transferred $28,040 to himself for personal use. The stolen money was made up of donations to a Givealittle page out of an account he helped set up. He was convicted and sentenced in September 2022 to 12 months of supervision and three months of community detention. A large portion of the stolen money was recouped during a reparation process.
The fund, now known as the Kimi Worrell Foundation, is being administered by ACAT an advocacy group, and has now been officially incorporated with Charities NZ. It aims to use donated funds to educate about climbing safety to prevent similar accidents and contribute financially to the replacement of perishable and unsafe gear, including ropes and bolts.
Material left and reused by others at climbing locations presents a danger and Coroner Mike Robb ruled Worrell’s death was preventable had she used her own equipment and not relied on a rope that was already attached to the rock.
