Whakaari victim’s mother wants to move to NZ

An Australian mother is considering relocating to New Zealand after receiving support from the Bay of Plenty community following the 2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption, which claimed the lives of her husband and daughter.

Whakaari/White Island Eruption and its Aftermath

Marie Browitt was on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship when her husband, Paul, 55, and daughter, Krystal, 21, chose to visit the active volcano off Whakatāne on December 9, 2019. Both were among the 22 people killed in the eruption, 17 of whom were Australian citizens.

Browitt’s other daughter, Steph, survived the eruption but suffered burns to over 70% of her body and required six months of intensive care at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital.

Recently, Marie and Steph returned to Whakatāne, where they met with first responders and helicopter pilots involved in the rescue efforts, including the pilot who recovered Krystal from the island. Local pilots independently flew to the island to assist the injured when commercial rescue flights were initially deemed too dangerous due to volcanic conditions.

Emotional Connection to New Zealand

“I don’t know what it was about the beautiful people, the warmth that we were immersed in and the love that surrounded us, but I felt some sort of peace,” Marie Browitt told 60 Minutes Australia.

The visit to Whakatāne helped Marie answer questions about her daughter’s final moments – who was the last person to see her and who recovered her from the island. She described feeling a strong connection to New Zealand and the people of the Bay of Plenty.

“I came back different. I can’t explain it, I can’t put it to words. I want to go back. I wished I could live there so I could feel close to my child. I feel a pull to this island. I really do,” she said.

The Whakaari/White Island eruption on December 9, 2019, remains New Zealand’s deadliest volcanic disaster in recent history.

In March 2024, Judge Evangelos Thomas imposed a total of NZ$10.21 million in reparations and NZ$2 million in fines on six defendants – Whakaari Management Limited, White Island Tours, Volcanic Air Safaris, Kahu Limited, Aerius, and GNS Science – following charges brought by WorkSafe NZ under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. However, in February 2025, Justice Simon Moore overturned Whakaari Management Limited’s conviction.