Pike River re-entry call to be made within two weeks

Wednesday, 31 October 2018

Anna Osborne, left, lost her husband and Sonya Rockhouse's son Benjamin was killed in the Pike River mine disaster.

A decision on whether the Pike River mine drift can be safely re-entered is likely to be made within two weeks.

Minister Andrew Little was to receive on Wednesday a plan compiled by the Pike River Recovery Agency that includes a preferred option for re-entry to re-enter the mine drift.

In April, Pike River Families Reference Group representatives Anna Osborne, left, and Sonya Rockhouse were able to walk 30 metres into the mine entrance tunnel.

The Government set up the agency to recover the mine drift eight years after the explosion that killed 29 men on November, 19, 2010. The aim is to recover any bodies that might be in the drift and gather any evidence of what might have caused the methane explosion.

The agency would not confirm if Little had received the plan, but Anna Osborne, whose husband Milton was among the victims, said she had been told Little would receive all the paperwork on Wednesday.

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'He will go through everything with his caucus and then they will give us an answer on whether to go in or not. All indications at this stage lead me to believe it can be done and can be done safely,' she said.

The agency had come up with a preferred recommendation, Osborne said, but that would not be made public until Little had reviewed the plan.

'I'm pretty positive from what I heard at the technical workshops I attended that there are no showstoppers. They don't have an open cheque book but they have guaranteed to go up to the end of the drift if it can be done safely. Safety is first priority.'

Osborne was spending Wednesday visiting the Pike River memorial at Atarau, on what was her and Milton's 26th wedding anniversary.

The plan landing on Little's desk was a huge milestone for the families, she said.

'I'm feeling very positive that we that much closer to bringing about closure and justice.'

Three options to re-enter the 2.3 kilometre tunnel, or mine drift, were drawn up by technical experts, representatives from the Pike River families, police, WorkSafe, the Department of Conservation, and Mines Rescue.

The three options for re-entry are: using a single entry; building a new 250 metre-long tunnel, which would connect with the 'Pit Bottom in Stone' area, for ventilation and a second escape route; and using a single entry but adding a new large borehole to provide a means of emergency escape.

All three options have been through a thorough risk assessment and been reviewed by another team of technical ventilation, geotechnical and mining experts.

The agency has a budget of $23 million but previously said the re-entry would cost more.

Little earlier told Newshub he would be seeking more funding from Cabinet and making a decision by mid-November.

A nitrogen plant has been set up at the mine site to purge the mine of methane ready for re-entry, which if approved should be completed by March next year.