A Taranaki skipper has admitted causing the death of a passenger on his boat.
The beach at Waitara. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
The Waitara boatie, who has interim name suppression, was due to stand trail on a manslaughter charge, but changed his plea to guilty last month.
52-year-old Hamilton man Erka Xu died after a wave struck the four metre inflatable boat the men were in, capsizing it offshore from Waitara in July 2015.
A surfer rescued the 59-year-old skipper but Mr Xu was found floating face down in the water.
Neither man was wearing a lifejacket.
Police said the skipper failed to take all necessary safety precautions required by law.
He will next appear for a disputed facts hearing on May the 8th.
