The former chief executive officer of the Port of Auckland is on trial in a first-of-its-kind prosecution in New Zealand over the death of a stevedore crushed by a container, the New Zealand Herald reports.

Tony Gibson is the first New Zealand executive charged over a workplace fatality under strict safety laws introduced in the wake of the 2010 Pike River coal mine explosion, which claimed the lives of 29 people.

Maritime NZ charged the former executive over the workplace death of Pala’amo Kalati, a 31-year-old father-of-seven who was crushed as the container vessel MV Constantinos P was being unloaded at the Fergusson Container Terminal in August 2020.

After investigating the death, Maritime NZ laid charges against Gibson and the Port of Auckland, according to the newspaper report.

The company pleaded guilty and was fined NZD500,000 (USD297,000) in December. Gibson pleaded not guilty in 2022 and his trial began this month.

The trial is underway in the Auckland District Court before Judge Steve Bonnar and is expected to last several weeks.