Ministerial Statements — Whakaari / White Island—Eruption

I wish to make a ministerial statement on behalf of the Government on the eruption of Whakaari / White Island. Just after 2 p.m., White Island erupted. There were two explosions, one after the other, in quick succession. The police have advised that of the 47 people located on or near the island at the time of the eruption, five are deceased and 31 have sustained injuries—many are critical. A further eight are still missing. Three have been discharged from hospital overnight. The scale of this tragedy is devastating.

Police and Defence Force personnel have undertaken a number of aerial reconnaissance flights over the island since the eruption. However, no signs of life have been detected. In the immediate aftermath of the eruption, a number of helicopter pilots made the conscious decision to fly to the island to try to rescue people. One Westpac Rescue Helicopter, and two private helicopters, along with a helicopter from the tour operator Volcanic Air, all landed on the island after the eruption to assist survivors.

I want to acknowledge their courage. In their immediate efforts to get people off the island, those pilots made an incredibly brave decision under extremely dangerous circumstances. Having met them just this morning, I suspect their own personal safety was the last thing on their minds, and I’m sure all of this House would wish to pay tribute to them.

Our hearts go out to the families of those who are injured, missing, or deceased. Among those injured or missing are people from Australia, the United States, the UK, China, Germany, Malaysia, as well as New Zealand. To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your grief and sorrow, and we are devastated. To our international partners and friends, we will do everything we can to support you as you have supported us in times past. In particular, our family in Australia has been heavily impacted. We feel the pull of our bond acutely at this time. Central and local government, iwi, and private industry are engaged in the response to ensure we are providing necessary support to everyone affected, and I do want to commend them all. I’ve seen the huge efforts that are going on, and their contribution is enormous.

The Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management Group continues to lead the response to this event. They’re focusing on providing welfare support for victims, survivors, and their families. The group is supported in its work by the National Emergency Management Agency, which is also coordinating the response at the national level.

The New Zealand Police are, quite rightly, focused on coordinating the recovery operation, supported by Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Police are also working urgently to confirm the exact number and identity of those who are unaccounted for so that their families and loved ones have the certainty that they need. Police have also activated their missing persons family liaison team to work with the families of missing or injured people. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are also on the ground in Whakatāne working alongside the police to provide that assistance and support.

I want to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of health professionals who are working across the country—and I mean across the country—to prioritise support to those injured. In some cases this has meant people have been moved around the country to ensure that they have the best expert care. That means that they are in Middlemore, Waikato, Christchurch, Auckland, the Hutt, and Tauranga. I met with first responders and health professionals this morning. They had worked tirelessly in the most devastating circumstances. Many of them had not yet rested or slept. The toll that the impact of this extraordinary tragedy has had on them was obvious.

The New Zealand Defence Force has deployed helicopters, drones, and observational equipment to further assess the environment. The HMNZS Wellington is also in the area. We know there is much work to be done over the coming days and weeks. We know too that there will be bigger questions in relation to this event. These questions must be asked and they must be answered, and the Police and WorkSafe will be putting out statements setting out that process, as I understand, later today. But our focus now is on discharging our duty of care to those affected, and that is also the focus of police.

As we focus on the tragic events at Whakaari / White Island, I’m reminded of two things. There is no limit to New Zealand’s capacity to mobilise, to respond, to care and embrace those impacted by tragedy. We are a nation full of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. I heard stories of, for instance, first responders, St Johns, who boarded a Coastguard vessel, made their way out to sea, and boarded in the middle of a journey one of the vessels returning to the mainland in order to give first aid support as soon as they could. There were two of them amongst many, many injured at that time until they reached other first responders on shore. I heard the story of those helicopter operators who when landing on White Island, as you can imagine, were greeted with devastating scenes, but did all they could to take every survivor from that island and bring them immediately back to the mainland. I have no doubt that they saved lives, at great risk to their own personal safety.

Just sitting off Whakaari is a place called Te Paepae o Aotea. It’s a collection of rocks that jut out of Te Moana-nui-a-Toi. For some of the Mātaatua tribes, it is where those who have passed on begin their journey to the afterlife. I say to those who have lost and grieve: you are for ever linked to our nation and we will hold you close.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of Simon Bridges and the National Party to join the Government and to thank the Government, actually, for the update and for the work that’s been going on. I don’t propose to know half as much as the Prime Minister has just laid out for us in this House, and, as such, won’t be traversing the same facts as what she has put on the table.

It is for us to show our respect to all of those that have been working at this very traumatic time, to acknowledge what is a personal sacrifice for those professionals who put themselves forward and in the face, and those volunteers that do it on a daily basis. At times like this, it makes us recognise the extraordinariness of them.

But now is about those victims. It is about the family members. It is about those that have gone through probably the worst 24 hours of their lives as they have wondered if their loved ones were there, and if they were the ones that got off or not, and if they were going to be OK. It is hard for us to imagine, as people around the world are now discovering, the grief that they must be going through with somewhere that is so far away for them and unknown.

As the Minister of Tourism—about 2½ years ago, it must have been—I actually went on to White Island. I had fished around it quite a bit in my time; my parents were in Ōpōtiki, and we used to go out from there. But walking on it, it is quite incredible: the power and the beauty of it. Our earth has opened up and exploded and taken some lives in with it. For those that are not from New Zealand, understanding that our land has taken them; our land now looks after them and will always show that kind of respect.

So on behalf of the Opposition, we would like to recognise those that are suffering, we’d like to recognise those that are working so closely behind it, and we’d like to thank the Government for the work that they’re doing at the moment. Thank you.