Pike River protest temporarily paused after earthquake
Monday, 14 November 2016
A roadblock protest at the Pike River mine has been put on hold after the North Canterbury earthquake.
Family members of men who died in the West Coast disaster in 2010 have been occupying the mine's access road since Saturday morning.
Solid Energy has been working on permanently sealing the mine to allow the area to be handed over to the Department of Conservation for inclusion in the Paparoa National Park.
The group say they will block the road to prevent any work being done until the Government and Solid Energy agree to enter the drift and search for the remains.
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Environment Minister Nick Smith announced on Sunday the work would be deferred for a week.
Anna Osborne, whose husband Milton died ar Pike, said the roadblock would be temporarily lifted.
'In the face of the national emergency and the agreement we've won to temporarily halt the sealing, we're pausing the occupation and heading down to give some support back to the friends and family. We have family members in Christchurch who had to be evacuated so we want to look after them.'
She had been assured by Solid Energy that no work would be done to seal the mine before the sixth anniversary of the explosion on November 19.
'I see it as a huge win for us. We have received so much support and messages from people all over New Zealand. It's heart warming to know that people are starting to realise that it's not fair and the families have suffered long enough.'
Smith said the work was suspended to avoid tension between Solid Energy and protesters, and also because it was 'an emotional time for the families with the first stage of the mine sealing completed last week, and the sixth anniversary of the disaster next weekend'.
He said the protest, which intended to block machinery and vehicles from accessing the mine, did not change Solid Energy's view that re-entering the mine was unsafe.
Smith said he would meet with the protesting families in Greymouth on Wednesday.
Osborne said she had not heard from Smith but was aware of a planned meeting with the Pike River Families Group.
The families would be gathering at the mine portal for a private memorial service at 3.44pm on November 19, followed by a public commemoration in Blackball at 6pm.
The road occupation would be continuing 'shortly', she said.
'We will be back, and we will make John Key keep his promise. This is not over until we get justice for our boys,' she said.