White Island eruption: Seventeenth victim dies at Middlemore Hospital. Video
Another person who was caught in the eruption at Whakaari/White Island has died in hospital, bringing the official death toll to 17.
Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims, national operations commander for the eruption, said the person died last night at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.
Police were advised of the death shortly before 11pm.
Bay of Plenty District Commander, Superintendent Andy McGregor said an extensive aerial search for further victims of the Whakaari/White Island eruption was conducted by Coastguard and police over the weekend, between the island and the mainland.
No further items of significance were located, he said.
The bodies of Whakatāne tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman, 40, and Australian tourist Winona Langford, 17, have not been found and are believed to have been washed out to sea.
Among those confirmed deceased include Winona's parents, Anthony and Kristine.
Their son Jesse, 19 was found alive and is in hospital in Australia with serious burns to most of his body.
Anthony and Kristine Langford were confirmed dead by NZ Police following the Whakaari / White Island eruption. Photo / File
Jesse Langford, 19, remains in hospital in Australia while the body of his sister Winona, 17, is believed to have been washed out to sea. Photo / File
Another Australian family of four, the Hollanders, all died following the eruption.
Barbara Hollander, 49, and Martin Hollander, 48, were visiting the island with their sons Berend, 16, and Matthew, 13.
Both boys died in hospital following the eruption. Matthew is the youngest victim among the official White Island eruption death toll.
Barbara, left, Matthew, Berend and Martin Hollander were visiting White Island when the volcano erupted.
Police also confirmed the deaths of Australians Gavin Dallow and his teenage stepdaughter Zoe Hosking.
Dallow's wife and Zoe's mother, Lisa Dallow, remains in hospital.
Lisa Dallow with her daughter Zoe Hosking, who died following the eruption at Whakaari/White Island. Dallow remains in hospital.
Lisa Dallow with husband Gavin, one of the victims of the Whakaari / White Island eruption.
A group of three Australian friends travelling on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship also died following the eruption.
Rick Elzer and girlfriend Karla Mathews, both 32, were killed in the eruption. Their friend Jason Griffiths, 33, died later in hospital with friends at his bedside.
Elzer's grieving family said in a statement it brought them "great relief" to know he had been with the "love of his life" at the time of the eruption and they had been together when they died.
Karla Mathews and Rick Elzer, left, both 32, were together on Whakaari / White Island when they died. Their friend Jason Griffiths, 33, died later in hospital from his injuries.
Also killed were Australian mother and daughter Julie Richards, 47 and Jessica Richards, 20.
A family spokesman said the Brisbane pair were known as "outdoors and adventurous" people who loved cruising.
"If there was an adventure that offered itself, then they would be the ones to do it."
Jessica, left, and Julie Richards were both killed in the eruption.
White Island tour guide Tīpene Maangi was also killed in the eruption. Maangi was only months into his job when the volcano erupted. His tangi was held last weekend at his ancestral marae.
Tipene Maangi was just one month into his job at White Island Tours when the volcano erupted.
Krystal Browitt, 21, was the first recovered victim to be named as deceased following the tragedy. The Melbourne woman was on Whakaari with her father, Paul, and sister Stephanie, while their mother Marie stayed on board the cruise ship. Paul and Stephanie are both in hospital in Sydney in medically induced comas.
Krystal Browitt from Melbourne was the first named victim of the eruption.
An Australian man who died in hospital after being repatriated has not been named at the request of his family.
More detail of Govt's $5 million fund
The Government today announced more details about a $5 million fund being set up to help businesses affected by the eruption and those hit by recent flooding in South Island's Westland district.
The funding was announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern a week ago.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has now confirmed businesses can request grant funding if they have suffered a substantial drop in income since the eruption on December 9 and had no insurance to cover the loss.
"We know the community is still grieving and people are also worried about how this is impacting businesses and jobs. As we head into the Christmas break, we want to provide certainty to impacted businesses," MBIE's Dean Ford said.
"This initial package provides a short-term response to immediate community needs over the summer period. Further decisions will be needed to respond to the long term implications for the local economy."
As part of the assistance, MBIE will also be carrying out an analysis into the ramifications of the disaster on the tourism industry.
A three-member panel appointed by the Whakatāne District Council, Ministry of Social Development, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa will make decisions on who gets funding.
Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare on Monday also announced an additional $50,000 to assist the local community through the Whakatāne District Council Mayoral Relief Fund.
"There have also been flow on effects for the Whakatāne community, and in particular local iwi, who are shouldering the costs associated with undertaking cultural protocols, and caring for family and whanau of the deceased who have travelled to the region in the last week," Henare said.
Battle continues for 25 eruption victims
Altogether 25 people are still recovering in hospitals around New Zealand and Australia.
The Ministry of Health said there were 13 patients still being cared for at four hospitals around New Zealand – Middlemore, Hutt Valley, Waikato, and Christchurch.
Nine of those patients were in a critical condition.
Eight are at Middlemore, two at Waikato Hospital, two at Hutt Valley Hospital and one at Christchurch Hospital.
Thirteen patients were transferred to Australia. One of those patients has since died.
Crowdfunding for victims continues
Donations are pouring in on crowdfunding websites for the victims of the White Island eruption. More than $200,000 has been raised for New Zealand victims on Givealittle and more than $100,000 on Gofundme.
Nearly $25,000 has been raised by the family of Rick Reed and Ivon Kohn Reed from Maryland in the United States, who are suffering from third- and fourth-degree burns, to cover their medical bills and lost income.
According to an update on their Gofundme page, Rick Reed has undergone three surgeries and Ivy Kohn Reed two since the volcanic eruption on December 9.
Rick Reed suffered burns over 30 per cent of his body, while Ivy Kohn Reed suffered burns to about 20 per cent of her body.
"Their tour group had already visited the crater, so they were walking away," Barry Kohn, brother of Ivy Kohn Reed, told WTOP, a Washington radio station.
"Which is in essence what probably saved their lives — that they were a little further away."
Rick Reed and Ivy Kohn Reed are recovering following the eruption. They are said to be in "good spirits", according to a GoFundMe page which has raised nearly $25,000 for their recovery.
Kohn told WTOP that Rick's son Mike called his father's cellphone when he saw news of the eruption; it was picked up by a nurse at a hospital. Mike then reached out to Kohn and his brother via Facebook Messenger, who set about determining Ivy's condition and piecing together what happened.
"I have spoken with my sister twice," Kohn told WTOP. "I've not spoken with Rick [but] we know his condition is worse than hers."
Kohn said the couple has third-degree burns "pretty much anywhere there was full skin exposure," but that Reed additionally has some fourth-degree burns.
"He's been burned on around 40 per cent of his body because he was wearing short sleeves and shorts," Kohn said.
He said Reed has "had multiple surgeries already," which gives the family confidence his condition is stable because he was healthy enough to undergo the stress of an operation.
"There are immediate medical bills to be concerned about," Kohn said. "But also we don't understand yet what this means for them going forward.
"We still don't know how long they're going to have to stay in New Zealand — we really don't have a good handle on what kind of costs or what level of cost we're looking at," Kohn told WTOP.
