Waipara Adventure Centre operator charged after boy badly burned on school trip
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The trust behind a North Canterbury adventure camp where a nine-year-old Hokitika boy was badly burned is facing a criminal charge.
A Christchurch District Court appearance by Sure and Stedfast Development Trust, which ran the Waipara Adventure Centre near Amberley, was adjourned until October on Wednesday morning.
The Hokitika Primary School student was flown to Christchurch Hospital, before being transferred to Middlemore Hospital's burns unit, where he was placed in a medically-induced coma in 2023.
He required dozens of surgeries, only returning to school part-time six months after his injury.
The trust was facing a charge of exposing an individual to a risk of harm or illness, which was believed to involve a small camp stove malfunctioning.
The charge, laid by WorkSafe under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, carried a maximum fine not exceeding $1.5 million dollars.
A Go Fund Me was set up to support the boy and his family raised over $26,000.
WorkSafe inspectorate head Rob Pope said he recognised the bravery of the boy, who had endured multiple surgeries and continued to live with the effects of his burns.
"Businesses and organisations must manage their risks, and when they do not we will hold them to account," he said.
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