Motions — Pike River Mine, West Coast—Explosion

I seek leave to move a motion without notice relating to the tragedy at the Pike River coalmine.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none.

I move, That the House express its concern to all those involved in the Pike River mine explosion—the miners themselves, those battling to save them, their families and friends, and the people of New Zealand who are waiting and watching with increasing distress as this tragedy unfolds. At approximately 3.45 p.m. on the afternoon of Friday, 19 November a large underground explosion tore through the Pike River mine 46 kilometres north of Greymouth on the West Coast of the South Island. Thirty-one men were in the mine at the time of the explosion. Two men, Daniel Rockhouse and Russell Smith, escaped through a service portal and walked 1.5 kilometres to safety. Twenty-nine others—24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons, and one South African—have not emerged from the mine. These men range in age from 17 to 62. They are fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, uncles, loved family members, and friends. They are trapped in the mine separated from their families, and we all want them to come home.

A search and rescue operation is under way. But at this point rescuers are unable to enter the mine, due to the volatile nature of the mine environment and the risks of further explosions. The search and rescue effort is being spearheaded by the New Zealand Police. They are working with, and calling on the resources of, a number of agencies, including the staff of Pike River Coal and other mining operations, New Zealand Mines Rescue, the New Zealand Defence Force, and a number of Government departments. The rescue team is also accessing the best advice, expertise, and practical assistance from throughout the world.

At this point it is simply too dangerous for anyone to enter the mine to ascertain what has happened to the 29 men. I personally spoke to members of the rescue team when I was in Greymouth yesterday; they are unquestionably brave people. They themselves agree, however, that it is simply too risky to enter the volatile mine environment right now.

Our thoughts right now are with the miners’ families and the sense of helplessness they must be feeling. We share their frustration. We too are impatient to see a rescue team sent in. But we realise that the toxic and potentially explosive gases could cause more casualties too. Later today the hole being bored will hopefully offer information on the kinds of gases that are trapped in the mine. It may allow access to video imaging of what is going on down there and it will possibly reveal the fate of those trapped there. It will provide further information to help the rescue team as they decide on the best course of action.

We hope and pray that the missing men are alive and well, but given that we have not had contact with the men for nearly 4 days, the situation remains grave. Although we must stay optimistic, police are now planning for the possible loss of life.

Our thoughts go out to the miners and their loved ones. Our hearts also go out to the entire community that is affected by these events. Everyone in the surrounding town knows someone who is down that mine. Through my two trips to the West Coast since the explosion I have been especially impressed by the way the tight-knit community has pulled together to endure this tragedy. I am truly humbled by the level of support, respect, and understanding they show as they endure shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart this dreadful, excruciatingly long wait.

I have also been heartened to see the offers of support flow in from around the country and the world. Volunteers are working with the families, Air New Zealand has sent in expert staff, and many others are working to assist. Messages of sympathy, support, and compassion have arrived from international leaders and dignitaries. I have also been impressed by the solidarity and camaraderie shown by the national and international mining community. These are men who live with risk every day of their lives. They look out for each other in the same way that a father looks out for his son. They are tough, resourceful, and stoic.

As a country we have a long history of coalmining, and an incident like this is the worst nightmare of those who work in the industry. Obviously, in due course inquiries and investigations will be necessary to answer the questions about why this event occurred and how we can prevent anything like it occurring again. Right now, as we all await updates on the situation, our thoughts and hopes go out to the community and families of all those who are suffering unbearable anxiety and distress as they wait for information about their loved ones. As John Milton once said: “They also serve who only stand and wait.”

On behalf of the New Zealand Labour Party, I support that motion. To the families facing the awful uncertainty of what has happened to their loved ones, we in the House today offer our sympathy, our solidarity, and our prayers. I think the whole of New Zealand is focused on the efforts to effect the recovery and the rescue of those still underground after last Friday’s mine explosion. After 4 days there is undoubtedly growing frustration and even anger that rescuers have been unable to effect a rescue because of the high levels of toxic and volatile gases in the mine. But what I also saw when I visited families in Greymouth on Sunday was incredible bravery and resilience on the part of the partners, parents, and siblings who are waiting to hear the news of what has happened to their loved ones. I pay tribute to their courage as they seek to balance hope that the rescue might be successful with the awful reality of what the potential consequences might be. The families that I spoke to wanted to express their gratitude to the community that has gathered around them, for the flood of support that they were receiving from across New Zealand, and, indeed, for the support that they were receiving from other countries around the world that were offering their help.

I also want to acknowledge the commitment of those who are trying to achieve the recovery of the miners and those who are helping in other ways: Peter Whittall, the Chief Executive Officer of Pike River Coal, who is carrying an incredible responsibility and strain, police district commander Gary Knowles, and the Mines Rescue unit leader, Trevor Watts. To Mayor Tony Kokshoorn, non-governmental organisations such as the Red Cross, St John, Victim Support, and others, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, and local and national companies like Air New Zealand that are offering so much help, I thank you for your efforts.

To all of those in the local community who have offered their help, I express my admiration and gratitude. On Friday a new class graduated in catering from the Tai Poutini Polytechnic. By Friday night they were volunteering their efforts to do the catering for the families in their community.

I also acknowledge my colleagues Damien O’Connor and Rick Barker, who have stayed on in Greymouth to help where they can. Both Damien and Rick are born and bred Coasters, and they know many of the families who are suffering at this time.

Today, and until the recovery can take place, our focus is wholly on the men underground and on their families. But when this phase is over, there will need to be a high-level inquiry to determine what happened and why, and what we can do to prevent a disaster like this ever happening again. With 21st century technology and safety standards, a disaster like this simply should not happen.

On behalf of the Labour Party, which was born in the mines and the towns of the West Coast, we offer our love and our support for all of those families, who just want to know what has happened to their loved ones.

Mining culture runs deep on the West Coast. It is an important part of our history and our traditions, and it is the breeding ground for some of our values of sticking together, bravery, self-reliance, commitment to social justice, and independence. Mining disasters, therefore, cast a long shadow on the West Coast. Memory of the Strongman disaster in 1967 is still strong, and the events at Pike River will have reawakened memories of that disaster, and several others since, for many of us. These disasters stand in a kind of cultural memory, where everyone in our community honours those who have been lost. Right now, all of us are standing in solidarity with those who are still in the mine, their families and their friends, and those who are supporting them. There would not be a family in and around Greymouth, where I live, without at least some connection to at least someone in the mine, and for many of us it is to many of those in the mine.

Speaking for the Green Party, we specifically express our thanks to, and our extreme admiration for, the Red Cross, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, the company, the emergency services, the Mines Rescue team, and everyone who has so far been involved in providing support and services. I also specifically acknowledge the contribution and the support of the Prime Minister, Phil Goff, Gerry Brownlee, Kate Wilkinson, Rick Barker, and, in particular, my fellow Coasters Damien O’Connor and Chris Auchinvole. At a time like this the boundaries between our parties dissolve, and I express my thanks for the work they have done on behalf of all of us. I also especially thank and express appreciation for the leadership shown by the Mayor of Grey District, Tony Kokshoorn. In this time of crisis Tony has been the voice of our community and it is appreciated by all.

Both the Prime Minister and the Hon Phil Goff so far have spoken of the feeling of helplessness, and I have to say I share it. There have been times over the last few days when I have looked back and wished I had my old job back, because then at least I could feel I was doing something useful. That feeling of helplessness and frustration is one that is shared by all. Still, I have asked my colleagues on the Coast what message I should be bringing to this discussion this afternoon, and the overwhelming message that they have asked me to convey is one of hopefulness and positivity. We know that it is possible for the people down that mine to have survived what has occurred. We must believe that they are alive and that they will come home. Please bring them home.

I rise on behalf of the ACT Party to join all other parties in Parliament today to say, along with everyone else in Parliament, that our hearts and our prayers go out to the miners of Pike River Coal and their families. Today 29 miners face their fifth day in the mine; 29 men—husbands, sons, and fathers—all of whom are well known within the tight-knit West Coast communities in which they live and work. None of us can imagine what their families and friends are going through right now. On Friday these men left their families, as they would have done every day, with light-hearted talk of the day ahead and probably just a quick goodbye. We now all know that that was not just another day down the mine. The explosion on late Friday afternoon and the subsequent efforts to rescue the trapped men have left the residents of Greymouth and the entire country anxiously waiting. We wait for every update, for each new piece of news, hoping for any sign from the mine that the 29 men will return home safe and sound. On behalf of the ACT Party our thoughts go to the men, their families, their community, and the rescue crew, who must be champing at the bit. Being forced to wait must surely be heart-wrenching. We all want nothing more than to see those 29 men brought back to the surface alive and well. The ACT Party, along with all New Zealanders and members in this House, continues to wait and to hope. Our thoughts and our prayers are with you.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou katoa. I rise on behalf of the Māori Party to join with the other parties of this House to express our support for the miners, their whānau, and the wider community of Te Tai Poutini at this time.

The West Coast of the South Island has a unique character that is written in the lives of every Coaster. It is a place of unbelievable beauty: the wild, untamed bush, the fierce waves crashing on the coastline, and the rugged landscape of glaciers, surging rivers, and valleys coming together under the towering gaze of the mighty Southern Alps. This land has been explored by settlers for well over 150 years, and well before that by others. It welcomes to its borders the entrepreneurs and adventurers seeking to find greenstone, gold, timber, and coal. It resonates with the pioneering spirit and the resilience of the people, who have carved out a distinctive place in our nation’s history.

But that history, unfortunately, has also borne the pain, all too often, of great tragedy. Today that history takes another turn. We in the Māori Party share with every member in this House the agonising pain of the events that have transpired at Pike River. In the last few days I have travelled to Greymouth and have felt the unspeakable sorrow that is etched in the faces of every single person, be they official, miner, rescue team, agencies, or whānau. As others have said, this is an extremely close-knit community and a community whose members place great value on their relationships with each other. Once a Coaster, always a Coaster.

It is a community that has held hope high, while also bearing the heaviness of a history that has led them to fear the worst. This is a community devastated by the fatalities of the Strongman Mine disaster of 19 January 1967, the Dobson Mine disaster of 3 December 1926, and the Brunner Mine disaster of 26 March 1896. It is a community peopled by descendants who know the stories of a funeral procession 6,000 strong; a community where mass graves at Stillwater Cemetery and Karoro Cemetery mark that tragic past. Now it is a community hoping, with every breath that it can summon, that there will not be a new date to add to its collective memory—Friday, 19 November 2010.

In the midst of the anguish and fear there is something so moving about the pioneering spirit that re-emerges to support those who are so devastated by the grief of these days. I spoke with Ngāti Waewae, who are poised, ready to go, to provide the support, the manaakitanga, that will be so needed. I have been humbled by the relentless optimism of all those associated at the site. The mining officials have invested every ounce of human energy into preparing for the rescue mission. I have spoken with whānau members with a direct link to the whānau of some of the 29 families involved. They are all on the verge of despair, yet they cling valiantly to the hope and faith that will carry them through.

Our hearts and our aroha are with Te Tai Poutini. We understand the fragile vulnerability of this community and we all must endeavour to do our best to provide the support that is so vital at this time of crisis. There will be plenty of time later for reviews, for commissions of inquiry, and for questions and media interest to be satisfied, but at this time a community is dealing with such an intense and horrific situation that we must caution against any unnecessary or uncalled-for attack. The community, just like the mine itself, is near the point of explosion. The last thing that any of us would want is for the volatility of this situation to be provoked. There are people who are right on the edge, and if I could leave one thought for us all, it is that we must apply ourselves to the greatest challenge of this time: to express our compassion, our love, and our unconditional support to help them all walk through the difficult days ahead. Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki i ngā wā katoa.

[God will care and protect you collectively at all times.]

I speak on behalf of the Progressive Party to express its support for the Prime Minister’s motion before the House. It is clear that the immediate task is to get to the miners and rescue them. We must at the same time support and care for their loved ones, their families and friends, in every possible way. It is a harrowing time for them, waiting, hoping, and—in quieter moments—despairing at the time it has taken.

Once this period of waiting is over and the immediate priorities are settled, there needs, of course, to be an intensive inquiry into why this has happened, how it has happened, and how we can ensure that it does not happen again. Questions over these matters need answers. However, now is not the time for them to be answered; there is other work to do.

On behalf of United Future I join with others who have spoken in support of the motion moved by the Prime Minister a little while ago. New Zealand at the moment is in a state of suspended animation. Everywhere we go there is but one topic of conversation, one issue of concern. But the concern and the state of anxiety that we feel is little, compared with that being experienced by the families of the affected miners right now. We might feel uncertain, on edge, anxious, and all of the sentiments that have been expressed, but that can be multiplied infinitely in terms of the impact it is having on those families, who cling, minute after minute, hour after hour, and, increasingly, day after day, to the hope that this will lead to a positive outcome.

I think all of us would acknowledge that since the tragedy became apparent on Friday afternoon, the company, the police, the rescue authorities, and other organisations that have been mentioned today have done a huge job in terms of trying to effect the most effective and safe rescue as quickly as they can. Our patience simply has to endure to allow that effort to continue and, hopefully, eventually be brought to a satisfactory outcome.

It is at a time like this that all of us look into the recesses of our own being and reflect upon its impact upon us. In my case—and I obviously was not around at the time—I remember my family talking about the Brunner explosion, because my great-grandfather was a mining inspector at that time. I remember my grandfather and his family talking about Strongman.

When I saw on Saturday the list of people who were missing in the mine at Pike River, I saw the name of Milton Osborne, who was United Future’s 2005 West Coast - Tasman candidate. All of those types of experiences impact upon all of us as Kiwis. We all have our connections and we all think sometimes “There but for the grace of God go I.”, in such circumstances. Well, for the 29 affected men and their families, last Friday there was not that option. Now we live with the hope that the efforts, which are relentless and determined on their part, to bring them to safety will succeed.

As others have said, this is not the time for recrimination or investigation—that will come later. The focus at the moment has to be on the rescue operation and bringing that to an efficient, hopefully speedy, and safe conclusion. But the lessons from this incident will need to be learnt and will need to be put in place, in terms of some solution to prevent, as my colleague from the Māori Party commented upon a moment ago, another name being etched on to that litany of names of West Coast mining disasters.

Last night there was a poignant scene on television of miners standing by the Strongman memorial looking out over the Tasman Sea. I recall, although I do not recall the lines specifically, a very moving poem written at the time by the former Labour MP for West Coast Paddy Blanchfield, about the Strongman Mine. This tragedy, however it unfolds, will be similarly remembered. We have to hope for the sake of the men and their families, the West Coast community, and the mining community generally that this leads to a safe and satisfactory outcome.

Motion agreed to.