The safety plan of a Queenstown river boarding company did not meet industry standards when an English tourist died on one of its trips, says whitewater sports expert Donald Calder.
Mr Calder was giving evidence for the prosecution on the fourth day of a trial resulting from the drowning of Emily Jordan in the Kawarau Gorge while on a Mad Dog River Boarding excursion last April, the Otago Daily Times reported.
She became trapped under a rock and could not quickly be freed.
Mad Dog parent company Black Sheep Adventures Ltd and director Brad McLeod both deny three charges under the Health and Safety in Employment Act.
A trained river boarding guide and former national kayaking representative, Mr Calder told Queenstown District Court that while the company's safety operational plan noted risks in the river, there were no steps shown to "eliminate, isolate, or minimise hazards".
"I do not consider the Mad Dog safe operational plan meets industry standards," he said.
Mr Calder told the court jet skis had good manoeuvrability on the river and were useful in rescue situations.
"I consider having a jet ski available throughout the trip ... is one practicable step Mad Dog should have taken."
He also said he believed Mad Dog "was irresponsible by not carrying the rope" - an item "most professionals would say is one of the few basic pieces of equipment ... for all water activities".
However, defence counsel Michael Parker questioned Mr Calder's claim a 15m rope would have been long enough to rig a pulley system around rocks in the area.
Mr Calder said it would not have reached a second rock, but was long enough to have doubled a person's pulling power on the day.
When asked by Mr Parker if he accepted the rescue was not "straightforward", Mr Calder said had there been a rope, "it should have been a very straightforward rescue".
The defence is yet to open its case.
NZPA