Motions — Air New Zealand—Airbus Crash, France

I seek leave to move two motions without notice.

Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course being followed? There is no objection.

Hon JOHN KEY: I move, That Parliament expresses its sorrow at the tragic death of five New Zealanders in the Airbus A320 crash in Perpignan, France, that it extends its condolences to the family and friends of Brian Horrell, Murray White, Michael Gyles, Noel Marsh, and Jeremy Cook, and that it acknowledges the excellent work undertaken by Air New Zealand and the French authorities in the post-crash investigation and recovery process. The tragedy off the coast of France came as a massive shock to the new Government and to all New Zealanders. Since then our thoughts have been with the families and friends who have lost loved ones. We can do nothing to lessen the grief, but we deeply feel their loss, and on behalf of the Government and all members I extend our sympathies to them. The deaths of senior staff of Air New Zealand and the Civil Aviation Authority have been significant losses to those organisations. This tragic accident came 29 years to the day after the Mount Erebus disaster and is a harrowing reminder of that earlier tragedy.

I would like to briefly acknowledge the leadership of Rob Fyfe, who, I think, has done an outstanding job given the very, very difficult conditions. I spoke to Rob late on Saturday night, and say that he was obviously physically exhausted. He has done everything possible that he can do. I would also like to acknowledge all the staff of Air New Zealand who have rallied around in these difficult circumstances.

To New Zealanders, Air New Zealand and its koru symbol are more than just an airline. They are part of who we are; they are symbols of this country that fly far beyond our shores. The men and women who work for Air New Zealand are, in many ways, our ambassadors. They greet and care for thousands of travellers and show them a touch of the great Kiwi spirit of adventure. This tragedy has been a real blow, but we trust, with the good work of Air New Zealand and the Civil Aviation Authority, the Kiwi spirit of adventure will live on.

On behalf of the New Zealand Labour Party, I would like to express our sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of all those who died in the Air New Zealand Airbus A320 crash off the coast of southern France. Our hearts go out to the families of the Air New Zealand crew, of the Civil Aviation Authority representative on the plane, and of the two German pilots.

I think that the sense of tragedy was highlighted to me by the grief expressed by the expectant wife of one of those who was killed, and by the parents who, against the whole natural course of events, had to go to France to recover and bury the body of their son. As New Zealanders, all of us would have been affected by seeing the picture of the tail fin of the Airbus, with the koru emblem on it, floating in the ocean. It brought back the memory of a crash, 29 years earlier, of an Air New Zealand plane on Mount Erebus, in Antarctica, where we saw the very sad picture of the koru on the tail fin embedded in the snow. Some years later I had the opportunity to fly over the site, and see the koru, still on the mountain.

I would like to pay a tribute to the actions of Air New Zealand, its chief executive officer, Rob Fyfe, and the Civil Aviation Authority, who, I believe, responded in an open and a concerned manner. I also pay tribute to the French authorities who have worked in cooperation with New Zealanders in the recovery operation and the investigation.

Again, I offer our deepest condolences to all those who suffered the loss of family and friends in this tragedy.

On behalf of the Green Party I express our sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of those who died. On a personal note I say that I understand what it is like because I had a family member who was killed in a flying accident and it is the most shocking and tragic of events. On behalf of the Greens I say that our hearts are with those people and we have been thinking of them.

I also hope that something comes out of this accident and we learn something about what caused it, so that flying can be made safe. All of us rely on safe flying, and if we learn what caused this accident, at least something positive will come out of it. Once again, on behalf of the Greens I express sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed.

On behalf of the ACT Party I join the other parties in this Parliament in paying our respects, and in recognising the grief of families, friends, workmates, and, indeed, people right around New Zealand. When Kiwis lose their lives overseas in tragic circumstances we all feel it, and we realise what a small country we are, because we have a connection to the families or the friends at times such as this.

Five New Zealanders died: pilot Captain Brian Horrell, engineers Murray White, Michael Gyles, and Noel Marsh, and Civil Aviation Authority inspector Jeremy Cook. Along with them died two German pilots, whose families and friends we should also pay our respects to.

I think that it is proper, with the other parties, to say that the leadership of Air New Zealand, and in particular of chief executive Rob Fyfe, has been outstanding. The colleagues and the crew at Air New Zealand have had to continue on in their jobs, and they have done so. As tragic as this accident is, it actually reminds us how safe Air New Zealand has proved to be over the years for all who fly with that company. Indeed, it was a check on the safety of a plane that led to this accident. I think, too, that we should also acknowledge the international help that has been provided to Air New Zealand in this accident—in particular, that of the French authorities, who have done everything that one could ever expect. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa. The 28th of November will be etched in our memories forever and a day, and a very sad day in the life of our nation, when we take into account an Air New Zealand flight crash on Mount Erebus 29 years ago, killing 257 people on board, and now this fatal crash of the Airbus in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a tragedy that has touched us all. It moved us last Friday as we travelled around New Zealand, noting that staff were wearing black ribbons to mark their grief. Airports had come to a standstill to observe a minute’s silence, flags flew at half mast at nearby hangars, and tears were shed; hei mau maharatanga.

Today we pay our respects to those who lost their lives: senior pilot Captain Brian Horrell, engineers Murray White, Michael Gyles, and Noel Marsh, and Civil Aviation Authority inspector Jeremy Cook. While we at home mourned, on the beach at Perpignan near where the plane crashed Andrew Baker, cultural ambassador, performed the haka as the ultimate and unique national tribute to those who were lost.

We remember them, and we express our sympathies today to their families in Tuatāpere, Christchurch, Pakuranga, Auckland, and Wellington. We hope that in days to come the families and the friends of those who have suffered will remember them with pride, and remember the high esteem with which New Zealanders have regarded these people, who have given so much to the aviation industry and who have paid the ultimate price for their distinguished careers. Tēnā koutou.

United Future joins with others in expressing deep sympathy to the families, the friends, and the work colleagues of all who died in the tragic Air New Zealand crash just offshore from Perpignan. I am loath to draw too many comparisons with events at Erebus 29 years ago, not because both are not huge and significant events in New Zealand’s aviation history that we should respect but because each is unique, each saw a significant loss of life, each left families deprived of loved ones, and each left people suffering in its wake, and I think the dignity of each of those events should be respected separately.

I want to say a special word about the families and the loved ones who have had to endure the public gaze—inevitably, in a situation like this—as they go through their private grief. I guess for them the hardest part at the moment is coming to grips not just with the loss of a very special person in their lives but also with the fact that uncertainty still remains as to what caused the event. My hope is that the authorities, who I think are doing a superb job, are able to come to some relatively clear conclusions within a defined period of time in order to give those people the certainty and the comfort of knowing what happened, so that they can get on with their grieving process and the next stage of their lives as they adjust to the loss of that special person. My thoughts are with them today, and I am sure that all New Zealanders would wish them every comfort as they resume their lives with these enormous gaps, which have now been thrust upon them.

Motion agreed to.

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