Andrew Little rejects Pike River families' plan to recover more evidence

Tuesday, 1 June 2021

The Government will not try to recover more evidence from the Pike River mine using a manned re-entry, despite receiving advice that it is technically “feasible”.

A group representing 23 families presented the Government with a concept plan, developed by a group of mining experts, to recover the main ventilation fan. The experts said the fan was a likely cause of the explosion in the mine where 29 men were killed in 2010.

They said the fan recovery would cost $8 million and take 12 weeks using standard mining techniques to get past a roof fall blocking the top of the access tunnel, or drift.

However, the Pike River Recovery Agency has told the Government it would cost up to $25m and take 10 months.

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**

Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little said he received advice from the agency “in good faith, and with an open mind”.

In the briefing to Little, agency chief executive Dave Gawn noted the families’ plan suggested agency staff should continue 130 metres into the mine workings to recover the fan. They would need to tunnel through a 30m roof fall.

“The advice of the agency’s technical staff is that the concept plan is technically feasible. However, it would require significant further work before it could be approved.”

The plan “significantly” underestimated the time and costs involved, Gawn said. The agency had already spent $48.4m of its $53m budget to recover the 2.3-kilometre drift.

Progressing the families’ plan would have involved another risk assessment and submission to WorkSafe for an extended exemption from the requirement to have a second means of escape from the mine. Detailed ventilation, geotechnical, tunnelling and drilling plans would also be needed.

Gawn said police were going to drill six boreholes, including one in the fan area that could corroborate or discount the possible causes of the explosion that were listed by the royal commission into the disaster.

“From a health and safety perspective, the borehole option is the optimal [one],” he said.

Little released the briefing to families and said he declined to progress the plan because of the significant costs and unquantifiable technical issues involved, and the fact it went beyond the agency’s mandate.

Gawn told Little items of significant interest to the ongoing criminal investigation had already been recovered. More than 20 large items were removed from an area of the drift called Pit Bottom in Stone, which held electrical equipment.

In a statement, Little said recovering the mine beyond the drift was not in the agency’s terms of reference.

“Recovery of the mine workings is not what was requested by representatives of the Pike River families when Labour was developing its policy in opposition.

“The Government has fulfilled its commitment to the Pike River families – that is to safely recover the Pike River Mine drift. The forensic examination continues.”

The project had taken longer and cost more than expected, he said.

“There has never been a blank cheque.”

Pike River father Bernie Monk said he was disappointed by the decision.

He believed Gawn’s advice did not raise any safety issues with the plan.

“We are looking at further options.”

Monk said the families’ group stood by their experts’ cost and time estimations.