Canyon tragedy: Guilty pleas expected

The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

The outdoor pursuits centre where six students and their teacher lost their lives is expected today to announce it will plead guilty to charges stemming from the tragedy.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre announced late yesterday it would hold a media conference this morning.

The Herald understands Rupert Wilson - chairman of the OPC - will announce the centre intends to plead guilty to four charges related to failing to ensure the welfare of those who died.

The tragedy stunned the country in April last year.

Students from Elim Christian College were on a canyoning adventure at the centre in Turangi when rapidly rising, flash-flood waters in the Mangatepopo Gorge swept many of them away.

In October last year the Department of Labour laid four charges under the Health and Safety in Employment Act against the OPC.

Two of the charges related to OPC's obligations to protect the instructor who went into the gorge with the students and teacher.

The third related to OPC's obligation to ensure that its employee's actions didn't expose others to avoidable risks.

The fourth charge related to OPC's obligation to ensure the safety of other people in the place of work.

A hearing for the charges is scheduled for Taumarunui District Court today, though the matter was not to be formally called.

The Herald understands the OPC will announce that it plans to plead guilty at a press conference arranged by lawyers Chapman Tripp in Auckland this morning.

Such an announcement would spare families having to listen to the tragedy played out in court.

At the time the charges were announced, victims' families said they were pleased the charges were directed at the centre and not the instructor, Jodie Sullivan, who was with the students when they died.

Natasha Bray, Portia McPhail, Tara Gregory, Tom Hsu, Anthony Mulder, Floyd Fernandes and their teacher Tony McLean were all killed.

Elim Board of Trustees chairman Danie Vermeulen told the Herald last night that the school and the families of the victims would issue a statement at the school at 1pm.