Ferg's Rock-n-Kayak fined $50k over accident

Former Olympic kayaking champion Ian Ferguson's Rock-n-Kayak company has been fined $50,000 after a 13-year-old girl was seriously injured when she fell nearly nine metres from a climbing wall.

The Department of Labour, which laid the charge under the Health and Safety in Employment Act, said the accident was "easily preventable".

The girl was on a school trip to the activity centre on Wellington's waterfront in December 2008, when she fell from the indoor climbing wall, breaking her ankle and cracking her pelvis.

Appearing in Wellington District Court today, the company was fined $50,000 and ordered to pay reparation of $17,000 after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of failing to take all practicable steps to ensure its customers were safe.

"While the department does not want to stop people from having positive life experiences, a school trip on a commercial climbing wall should be safe," said department acting central regional manager Brett Murray.

"No beginner should expect to be injured during a recreational experience on an artificial wall."

Mr Murray said the department was concerned about the number of accidents in the industry and believed that the development of industry-led guidelines was important to improve safety standards.

Ferg's Rock-n-Kayak had agreed to take a proactive role in developing the guidelines, he said.

- NZPA