The Department of Conservation has been criticised for not having adequate safety measures in place when a volunteer died while taking water temperatures on remote Raoul Island in January.
The department (DoC) was today convicted of failing to ensure the safety of Romanian volunteer Mihai Muncus-Nagy, but no further sanction was imposed because it had already paid his family $60,000 compensation.
It's believed Mr Muncus-Nagy slipped into the sea as he was taking temperature readings from water on Fishing Rock at the island about 1000km northeast of New Zealand.
An extensive search failed to find any sign of the 33-year-old and he is thought to have drowned.
During sentencing in Auckland District Court today, DoC lawyer Erynn Hughes said the department had already paid Mr Muncus-Nagy's family compensation, and paid for his wife and her father to come to New Zealand and Raoul Island.