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The father of a schoolgirl who died in the Mangatepopo canyoning tragedy is relieved Department of Labour charges against the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre were not laid against the instructor who led the group.
Andy Bray, whose daughter Natasha was one of seven from the Elim
Christian College who lost their lives when a flash flood hit in April, said his family held no grudge against instructor Jodie Sullivan.
"It's really appropriate that they are not singling out one person. I'm so glad about that, she's got enough to deal with," said Mr Bray.
"What must go on in her mind every day? What took place for that poor girl six months ago must just be terrible. We really feel for Jodie."
Students Natasha Bray, Portia McPhail, Tara Gregory, Tom Hsu, Anthony Mulder, Floyd Fernandes and teacher Tony McClean died in the tragedy. Four students survived.
College head Murray Burton said the wider school community was also satisfied it was the organisation under scrutiny, not Ms Sullivan.
He said the school was a regular visitor to the centre and students had come to "love and admire" some of its staff.
Ms Sullivan has not spoken publicly since the incident and is now at Outward Bound in the South Island.
The organisation said it was approached by the Outdoor Pursuits Centre and agreed to offer Ms Sullivan an opportunity to observe its operations "during her stand-down period".
Ms Sullivan was out with a group yesterday and could not be contacted.
Outdoor Pursuits Centre chairman Rupert Wilson said she was still employed by the centre and appeared to be coping well.
The Department of Labour said on Tuesday night it had decided to prosecute the centre, and four charges had been laid.
One charge related to the centre's obligation to ensure the safety of other people in the place of work.
Another related to its obligation to ensure that its employees' actions didn't expose others to avoidable risks.
And two related to obligations to protect Ms Sullivan, the centre instructor who went into the gorge with the school party.
Mr Wilson said the charges were unexpected, and the centre would defend them.
A preliminary hearing is expected to be held in the Taumarunui District Court in four to six weeks.
Police are continuing to compile evidence from witnesses for their investigation.
Ruapehu area commander Inspector Steve Mastrovich said they planned to place all material gathered before a coroner by early to mid-December so an inquest date could be set.
He said the material would also be given to the Crown, but this was not necessarily to determine whether criminal charges would be laid.
"That's not the main reason," he said.
"Obviously, that's something they'll consider, but the reason we're consulting with the Crown over it is just to make sure we've done a 100 per cent thorough job."
He said police had focused on gathering evidence from all the people involved and also evidence of a scientific nature.
A huge number of witnesses had been interviewed.