Pike River Recovery Agency advice released

  • Hon Andrew Little
Pike River Re-entry

Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little has released advice on the establishment of the Pike River Recovery Agency, Te Kāhui Whakamana Rua Tekau mā Iwa.  

Mr Little says the Government is committed to being open and accountable, and there will be continued transparency as work progresses on the manned re-entry of the Pike River Mine drift.

“We’ve been up front with the families and public on what we are doing and that remains important in terms of trust and confidence in this process and its robustness.  That’s the sort of openness that this Government is committed to in how we work.

“The families have been clear that safety and transparency are priorities for them and we’re working side by side with them, making sure that they, and their experts, have a voice throughout this work.

“The decision to establish the Pike River Recovery Agency is an important milestone so people should see the information surrounding that decision. Once the agency’s up and running, it will operate on a transparent basis, making sure relevant information is in the public arena.”

The Pike River Recovery Agency will be established on 31 January 2018 by Order in Council. It is expected that the agency will create and execute a plan for complete recovery of the drift by the end of March 2019.

The documents released include the 20 November Cabinet paper and advice provided by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) ahead of the decision to create a stand-alone government department to plan for decisions on the manned re-entry of the Pike River Mine drift.

 The documents are available at: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/pike-river-recovery/documents/