However, one of the parents of the seven members of a school group who drowned in the gorge during an OPC-led canyoning trek says school groups should not be taken there again.
Jennifer Fernandes, whose son Floyd died when the group from Elim Christian College in Auckland was swept away in as the stream in the gorge in Tongariro National Park turned into a torrent in August last year, wants tougher restrictions than those recommended by the coroner, Christopher Devenport.
"That gorge should be allowed for only training of instructors or training in that industry rather than have it open for kids," she told Radio New Zealand.
Teacher Antony McClean and Floyd's fellow teenage students Natasha Aimee Bray, Portia Caitlin McPhail, Huan (Tom) Hsu, Anthony Walter Mulder and Tara Rochelle Gregory lost their lives.
OPC has not taken any groups into the gorge since the tragedy but chairman Rupert Wilson said it was likely they would do so again once all the coroner's recommendations had been implemented.
"The coroner has certainly taken the approach that as long as the quite large number of safety criteria he has put in his recommendations are followed, then the gorge can be used again," Mr Wilson told NZPA.
"It will be some expense, but we're determined to make sure that we fully respond to those recommendations and on that basis, I think that the gorge will be used again at some stage in the future. It certainly won't be immediately."
Mr Devenport, in his findings released yesterday, said the OPC was complacent and under-estimated risks in the gorge. He said it did not use instructional historical information, had used inexperienced instructors, and lacked proper assessment of whether water levels might rise above a safe level during the trip.
The OPC failed to implement a crisis plan and quickly send response teams, and it had under-estimated risks, he said.
He made more than 20 recommendations, both relating to the outdoor industry in general and specifically regarding canyoning in the gorge.
He also wants the Government to consider licensing outdoor education centres that cater for under 18-year-olds, though Mrs Fernandes wants all centre staff to be licensed as well.
College principal Murray Burton said Mr Devonport had been "firm but fair".
It was a surprise to discover during the inquest just how many failings had been identified, he said.
Mr Burton said the tragedy and the following inquiries should prompt all outdoor recreations providers to look at their safety.
"If OPC with their reputation in terms of risk management have slipped like that it would behove the other providers to have a good hard look at what they're doing."
