A boat company is being forced to pay more than $93,000 in fines and reparations after a passenger's back was broken during a trip with the company in the Bay of Islands.
Seafort Holdings Ltd and its sole director and shareholder, Richard Prentice, is being hit with the penalty after a 60-year-old passenger suffered the back injury in 2014.
The passenger, Raewyn Russell, was sitting in the front row of seats in the company's vessel "Mack Attack" when the boat struck a large wave at speed and landed heavily.
"Mrs Russell was thrown forward and on landing back in her seat heard a crack in her back and doubled over in pain," a Maritime New Zealand report into the incident read.
An ambulance was called to meet the boat at Waitangi Wharf and the passenger was rushed to Bay of Islands Hospital.
Seafort and Prentice were ordered to pay $32,630 in reparation to Russell and the company was fined another $55,000.
Prentice was fined $5500 for causing unnecessary danger or risk to any other person.
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