Pike River likely to be sealed
January 14th, 2011 at 9:56 am by David FarrarAfter a couple of months of failure to make Pike River safe to enter, the Police announcement that the recovery operation will cease is no surprise.
It is deeply disappointing for the families. It will make it far harder to get closure.
From what I have read of conditions in the mine, there may not have been much in the way to recover – perhaps some bones and teeth. If the temperatures have been over 1000 degrees as some reports suggest, then it could be just teeth.
UPDATE: Labour shows there is no depth to which they won’t let Trevor descend to. And they wonder why they are so low in the polls. Everyone knows it is not about the money – but about the inability to safely enter the mine. This really is a new low in disgusting and crassness. One could almost see them celebrating the news the mine could not be entered safely, thinking “yay we can try and slime John Key with this”.
Tags: Pike River
January 14th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Didn’t Key promise to do “whatever it takes” to get the bodies out?
And why didn’t he front up to tell the West Coast the Government were not going to stump up with the money?
[DPF: Mickey reminds us why so many people detest Labour. The issue is not money at this stage - it is the fact that no viable entry plan has passed scratch.
Tell you what Mickey - you tell us how you'd enter the mine, and lead the way, and I'll pay for the costs]
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 10:08 am
If the mine is so dangerous that no-one will ever be allowed in- why were they allowed to build a mine like that in the first place? Sounds like JK was poorly advised before making his promise.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 10:12 am
C’mon comrade micky. Your politicisation of this tragedy is pathetic, and to put the blame on Key is even worse.
Vote:I’m no fan of the P.M., but his deportment has been impeccable during this crisis.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Methinks ‘whatever it takes’ is going to include a very long period of time. Perhaps 6-9 years even. Fortunately Key will still be the PM then, so he’s got time.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 10:22 am
Oh FFS don’t take it out on JK. If it’s too dangerous then there’s no point risking anyone else, or indeed throwing any more money down the hole.
bchapman asks why were they allowed to build a mine like that in the first place? It was a safe mine until a compressor failed. ALL coal mines are gassy, some more so than others, and Pike wasn’t at the top end. Why don’t we wait for the results of the Royal Commission of inquiry before armchair specialists start saying that there should never have been a Pike River mine.
mickey, everyone in business knows that you take a risk if you deal with a company in recievership. It’s not up to the government to pay for private ventures when they go wrong – you know full well they wouldn’t pay your or my bills if we had companies in recievership.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 10:27 am
Open casting may be an option in time, once the methane has settled. This is too big an economic investment and potential to seal and leave. I would favour Govt. investment on this one, for the benefits that will eventually follow to the consolidated fund, and the social contract to West Coasters (60/40 with Pike River receivers/creditors). We should open more mines. Investment (railroads, shipping, forestry) has always had a cost in human lives, tragically.
Maybe its time to rethink Bill Birch’s “Think Big” but tagged to specific expenditure (Pike River Mine Early Childhood Education, or whatever; Aramoana Smelter Supertannuation). Maybe taxpayers would buy centralised taxpayer investment, if the returns were tagged directly to social outcomes. If voters could trade off selected Conservation estate mining for, say, dedicated expenditure on Health, or Education, then it might be a trade-off sellable to the electorate. Govt-Private partnerships. But dang, we need so much more investment in NZ, not closed mines. The best way to honour and support the families, is to make WCoast more prosperous (open the forests, harness water, develop our mineral wealth).
National completely mismangaged the mining/Conservation estate debate and wimped out. Aussies would be in there.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 10:32 am
gm,
Fair enough lets wait for the RC. I’m sure there is going to a lot of interesting stuff that will come out.
Manolo- the policisation started the instant the government took over the recovery- unavoidable really.
One thing we should be asking is that miners have an emergency plan in place beforehand so that the police aren’t left holding the baby when risks are taken. Shouldn’t the recovery costs be covered by insurance?
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 10:35 am
Open casting is not an option, it never was. It is not even close to economic to move 200m of rock to get to a 3-4m seam. The economic stripping ratio is somewhere about 10:1 depending on the quality of the coal (it is good coal) and Pike River’s is more like 40:1. That is before you consider the economic value of the national park.
Vote:Underground coal mining is a very risky business and there is a lot of engineering that has to go into it compared to a metaliferrous mine. If there was any other way they would have considered it.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:37 am
bchapman – mines do have an emergency plan, it is part of the OHS law. The coppers are involved because they are the country’s search and rescue specialists and you’ll probably find that was in the plan.
Vote:Yes the costs should be insured.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:46 am
Key promised to do everything possible to recover the bodies. There are no longer any bodies and it is still too dangerous to send anybody in to take a look. That has been the situation for weeks and weeks but they have persevered regardless.
I think that is a promise fulfilled.
I also think our media have been irresponsible allowing rather silly, if grieving, people to blather on. We all deserve to be told the facts and the reasons for the decisions. I thought what Broad said made sense. I suspect Bernie Monk and the others know perfectly well what the situation is but want to keep the media focus on Greymouth and the families. Good for them but we expect our leaders to make sensible decisions.
Key, Brownlee and the police have given us exemplary leadership throughout and I see no need to start an unintelligent bout of criticism for partisan or financial reasons.I
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 10:57 am
I also think our media have been irresponsible allowing rather silly, if grieving, people to blather on.
Unfortunately that’s what they do, they think it makes good copy/viewing, regardless of how unfair it is to use people when they are in an emotional state.
NatRad this morning had a report that stated “the families” – I’d be very surprised of all the families think and want to say the same thing.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that they have decided not to continue recovery, I’m surprised they have kept trying for so long. It’s tough on some family members but it won’t change a much.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 11:24 am
A commenter on Red Alert said “Try to politicize this and you will get your arse handed to you on a plate”.
Vote:Can’t say I disagree, so here’s hoping they make a feast of it.
January 14th, 2011 at 11:32 am
Good to see the Labour Party showing some concern for those who live on the West Coast. I seem to recall a very senior Labour Party figure, currently resident in New York, once refer to these people as “Feral Inbreds”.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 11:57 am
I’m buggered if I’m going to contradict Trevor without seeing the case for opencast mining *and* retrieval of the bodies.
JC
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Key made this possible by making a promise he should never have made. Had he been a little more pragmatic rather than going for the short term PR fix then no one could now accuse him of breaking his promise.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
National Radio let us down this morning by broadcasting so much emotional response and denying us the information and intelligent explanation I believe we have a right to from a public broadcaster that we fund. The newsreader actually stated John Key broke his promise as though that were fact and kept talking about the bodies and loved ones.
We are now used to crap from TV1 news but this was a new low for National Radio.
With the Herald gone tabloid, where on earth are we going to get solid, objective news?
No wonder Kiwiblog et al are winning the field.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
m@tt He said the government would do everything possible. I think that is exactly what has happened.
Vote:I don’t even think it is about money though, as a taxpayer, I don’t want scarce funds being wasted on fruitless attempts.
January 14th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
To give a little perspective, from RED ALERT –
slightlyrighty says:
Go on Trevor. YOU tell us how YOU could get these bodies out. You seem to have all the answers
tracey says:
[...] I heard this morning, hearsay only, that the people running the GAG machine said yesterday is the first day it has been 100% working as it should and doing what it should?
LabRat says:
Vote:He’s got plenty of time to get them out while he’s still PM, Trevor, I’d say at least another 9 years.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Can’t believe the childlike logic of some on here, to politicize this tragedy and trying on the “but he promised” line, as if there is something that can be done that isn’t being done.
Trevor’s insinuation that there is some wider spin to align announcements with the Queensland floods is even more of a disgrace. His further assertion that families weren’t consulted also appears to be erroneous.
”There was extremely probing questioning of the decision-making process. But I think they were grateful for having been briefed.” – stuff.co.nz
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Typical sad Labour politics – I heard two leading New Zealanders, at lunchtime on RNZ, Little Andrew and somebody Kelly from Wellington, expressing the views of New Zealanders. No wonder they are as stupid as Trevor. Keep it up please – continue to make arses of yourselves, coupled with thr Labour party.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Here’s what I posted on Red Alert.
January 14, 2011 at 11:30 am
You whould really choose your battlegrounds more carefully Trevor. Who’s to say that every that can be done has not been done. I am, however, pleased to see the change of stance of the Labour Party in it’s relatioship with those who reside on the West Coast. Balance deleted – moderation next time. Trevor
And the deleted balance? Well, that was a comment on a highly placed Labour Party Official referring to the inhabitants of the West Coast as “Feral Inbreds.”
When people start deleting truth, rather than addressing it, that’s when you lose my vote, permanently!
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
There was talk earlier of flooding the mine to put out the fire. Does anyone know why this was not feasible?
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Stuff reports the mine is going to be sealed. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4540331/PM-Pike-River-Coal-mine-to-be-sealed
At this point it would be simply distasteful, even disrespectful to the dead and the families, to try to use this for political gain. So I expect Trevor will be on tonight’s news telling us how John Key has broken his promise.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
Chuck Bird: I’m not a mining engineer, but I suspect two reasons: (1) the shaft from the entrance runs uphill to the coalface and (2) even if you could get the water to run uphill and it did put the fire out, it would not stop the gas, and when you let the water out, you would still have a mine full of gas, which is what caused the problem in the first place.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I have stopped reading red alert, but had to check what you linked to.
Trevor lives in a different world to the rest of us.
In any situation, we can only do what can be done. This is what John Key promised.
What else can be done? Do we turn the area into a large open cast pit with the sole purpose of recovering 29 bodies that have probably been cremated?
John Key’s promise to do everything that can be done was the right thing to say. Since then there has been a lot of activity at the mine with the purpose of getting entry to the mine, and retrieving the bodies of those lost.
The decision that has been made has not been made lightly. This is not putting the situation in the too hard basket. This is the realisation that what we may want to do, we can’t. We can deal with the reality of the situation.
That some of you seem content to use the situation to attempt to smear political enemies, or to make political capital, or to infer that some sort of cynical manipulation has taken place, then that is beneath contempt.
That is despicable behavior, Trevor, and says more about your own social conscience and mores than it does about Key’s.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
“Right of way is Way of Right”
The “Feral Inbreds” line has been shown up as a bit of an urban myth – by which I mean no-one seems to be able to find a quote for it. I know Helen Clark once called a handful of coasters “feral” so that’s probably where the myth started but the “inbred” bit is pure fantasy I’m afraid.
“BeaB”
Key SHOULD have said he would do whatever was possible, but he DIDN’T – he said he’d do whatever it TAKES which is quite a different thing to say.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
georgebolwing: Thanks for the feedback. I was under the impression that flooding was at one stage seriously considered.
The main entrance would obliviously have to be well sealed to hold in the water. The water would be pumped in from the top. I would be interested if anyone has read of this being discussed in the MSM and why it has been rejected.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
black paul, ROWiWAR, the question was thrashed out here almost 2 years ago: http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/03/feral_inbreds.html
The ‘feral’ part was verified, with the only evidence for ‘inbreds’ being anecdotal.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Chuck, I believe the problem is still largely the methane gas seeping out of the coal
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
black paul Oh dear. We are back to all that childish Labour whining, “But you promised…” as though reality never gets in the way of the best of intentions.
Vote:We know everyone, from the PM down, would have done everything possible to bring bodies out but that possibility is long gone and we should just be grateful the taxpayer has stumped up so much – manpower, expertise, technology, money – in the attempt.
Trying to hang John Key on semantics in a time of national disaster and grief is just about as low as you can go.
January 14th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
m@tt notes:
Precisely. Of course it’s not about money at this point, but safety, as DPF posits. But if Key hadn’t been desperate to sound Obama-like (or should that be Obama-lite?) at the time, he wouldn’t have given Trevor and his other critics the ammunition they’re now so wantonly and inadvisedly using.
Neither side of politics has done itself any credit with this. It is when tragedy strikes that leaders prove themselves. Sadly the only thing our political leaders have proved with this issue is that they’ll say anything to create a soundbite.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
So he shouldn’t offer as much comfort as possible to desperate and grieving families? Aren’t we lucky to have a PM at last who empathises with people and isn’t always thinking of how Mr Nasty and his mates are going to interpret every heartfelt word.
Vote:Helen Clark’s cynical PR machine failed whenever she let slip her feral, lynch mob and hater and wrecker comments.
John Key speaks sincerely and from the heart and has done all that can be done.
I think, Rex, you are the one sounding desperate, along with Mallard, because neither of you shows a fraction of the class of John Key.
January 14th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Awaiting moderation on red alert:
He promised to do anything that can be done. The reports show that there is nothing that can be done. Which part of that is complicated?
And you choose to use this as a political football? Shame on you all.
Viper: “Key promised that nothing would be spared in recovering the bodies.”
But he didn’t promise that *no-one* would be spared in recovering the bodies. That is what you vampires seem to want, more people to die for the sake of bringing back some teeth.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
I’ve just posted the following on Red Alert
“Trevor.
You were at the memorial service? I have just read the transcript of John Key’s speech, where he said this…
“Any sudden death in a close-knit community like this would be hard felt. To have 29 deaths in a single, terrible incident is almost beyond imagining.
What makes it even harder is that you have not had the opportunity to lay your men to rest in a place and manner of your choosing.
I do not know whether some or all of your men are in their final resting place.
But I do know that where they lie now, in the Paparoa Ranges, is a very beautiful place.”
Are you mistaken, or lying?”
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
http://beehive.govt.nz/speech/prime-minister039s-address-pike-river-official-remembrance-service
Here’s the speech transcript from the memorial. Mallard is lying.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
January 14, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Viper – “So his poetic eulogy means that his direct promise to the families doesn’t count any more?”
Viper I think it’s more like: what Key actually said counts, and the stuff Trevor simply made up, doesn’t.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
BeaB:
I’ve said Trevor’s doing himself no favours with this. In fact politicking on Key’s silly over-reach is worse than having made the silly over-reach in the first place.
Tell me, do you have a small shrine to Key in your bedroom, or do you make do with a signed 10 x 8 like Winston’s worshippers used to do?
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Sad, Rex. On second thoughts. Sad Rex.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
We shouldn’t put any credence on the words of a thuggish socialist like Trevor Mallard. Once again, it must be his male menopausal state causing him to spout rubbish.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
M@tt / Rex,
Ready, Fire, Aim… From both of you I think.
Most people get that the “promise” Key made was made with honest intent. The fact that reality has conspired against recovering the bodies does not undermine or tarnish his statements – had it been feasible, it would have been done.
It seems to me that the people looking to cash in on this poort turn of events are those that are far more concerned about ephemeral words than realities – i.e. what Key promised is more important than his actions. Just how much time, effort and money do you think the govt and other parties have poured into trying to make, fire the rescuce, and then the recovery possible??
If you place more importance on words than intent and action you deliberately create an environment where it is more important not to be caught out having said something that proves to be not wholly correct, rather than doing the right thing. You create the environment where to ‘do nothing and achieve nothing’ is better than to address a challenge with the right intent.
In short, you perpetuate a ‘say nothing, do nothing’ political environment. Thanks for your efforts, but I’d rather have the pragmatism of the current govt. Thanks for your efforts. Thanks for nothing.
Vote:January 14th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Mr Mallard is,
Thick
A thug
A feral socialist.
The Rt Hon John Key is,
Empathetic.
Intelligent.
Street smart enough to know when Impossible is the relevant status.
And about 1000% better to have making decisions than any thug anyone cares to suggest.
Mr Goff and his luddite opportunists of the Labour party are being disingenuous to claim otherwise.
I will go with the pragmatic decision that although recovery was a laudable aim in the early days, the reality was that we were dealing with 29 fatalities from the get go and most people who have an understanding of tunnel mining coal with gas problems coupled with the poor design of Pike River Mine from the constraints of “conservation and footprint activity exacerbating those constraints we as a nation were facing a potential disaster from day one.
Vote:January 15th, 2011 at 12:22 am
bhudson:
Have I said he lied, or that it was cynical spin? No. Just an unwise attempt to look heroic.
Of course, and I’m not saying it wouldn’t.
Actually, I’d like an environment where our elected representatives – especially our PM – thought carefully about their words and their actions, and didn’t go about saying things that sound good at the time but raise false hopes.
“Everything that can be done, will be done” would have sufficed, for instance.
Pragamatism?! That connotes practicality, and it was always likely to be impractical to recover the bodies – if indeed there are bodies left to recover. It’s not pragmatic to over-promise and under-deliver, it’s just stupid. A pragmatic PM would have said something like “it looks like it may never be possible, but we’ll do everything we can to recover your loved ones”.
“Thanks for nothing” is what the families are saying, thanks to Key’s “pragmatic” promise.
Vote:January 15th, 2011 at 12:45 am
and most people who have an understanding of tunnel mining coal with gas problems coupled with the poor design of Pike River Mine from the constraints of “conservation and footprint activity exacerbating those constraints we as a nation were facing a potential disaster from day one.
Conservation had nothing to do with it, poor management by a company running behind schedule did.
One of the most efficient and successful aspects of the Pike operation was their relationship with the department of conservation.
By repeating the “conservation caused this” nonsense you are actually doing the mining industry harm, it will only ensure that “most people” will be opposed to similar compromises in future.
Kiwis will not (despite the foolish mutterings of mayor Kokshorn) allow that coal to be open cast mined even if it was feasible (and it isn’t), it would also be political suicide for the National party.
It is a national park, you would have one of the largest protests in modern history.
But by all means stick to your story, as far as I am concerned the grief and pain this whole sorry mess has created in my community makes coal mining not worth it.
Vote:It costs far to much.
January 15th, 2011 at 4:17 am
Hear hear Shunda and Im no greenie but you have to ask what stupid lengths would be go to to get the coal out of the ground so it can all be burned and create environmental damage for a short term economic gain for someone.
All energy resources extraction is about someone making money at the expense of something in this case Miners lives and the environment. Which makes you wonder why even the unions have not latched onto the obviois contradiction, truth is its all about votes and power and damn all else, not about the damage to the landscape being left for futureu generations to try ti clean up.
Vote:Ive studied Welsh coal mining history extensively which is a far worse record than NZ because there was so much more of it Nothing to be proud of what is good there is that virtually all coal mines in Wales are now shut down so the country can get on with putting all of that lamentable history as far beghind it is possible
January 15th, 2011 at 7:31 am
Given some time to think about it the Herald has a more realistic take on it:
Other news reports still refer to “mine families” as if it is one group of people.
In the meantime the pointless argument over semantics goes on.
Key:
Goff:
He mustn’t read newspapers, talk to mine experts or use his noggin.
Little:
Plenty of money has already been spent. Maybe the current decision is partly to do with money (it seems more to do with what is feasible), but so what? How much should they spend on something that still may prove futile? Drag it out for the families even more? Maybe that will provide some more political point scoring opportunities.
What exactly did Key say, and in what context? Does it really matter? Most of the bitching seems to be from those who would never be happy with Key regardless, much of the criticism is pathetic political posturing.
Key may sometimes say and do things unclearly, unwisely, without sufficient thought, able to be interpreted different ways depending on the political wishes of the commenter – but it’s a hell of a lot better than sterile press releases, beating around the bush and fobbing off.
Vote:January 15th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
My comment after “moderation” on Red alert
January 14, 2011 at 2:46 pm
He promised to do anything that can be done. The reports show that there is nothing that can be done. Which part of that is complicated?
And you choose to use this as a political football? Shame on you all.
Viper: “Key promised that nothing would be spared in recovering the bodies.”
But he didn’t promise that *no-one* would be spared in recovering the bodies. Balance deleted. Offensive. Clare
The “offensive” bit was:
That is what you vampires seem to want, more people to die for the sake of bringing back some teeth.
I guess that would offend people who don’t like being exposed for the scum they are.
Vote:January 15th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
April 2010 West Virginia US coal mine disaster. Mr Brownlee why didn’t you stop Pike River ?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36183425/ns/us_news-life/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/west-virginia-mine-investigation-methane_n_694787.html
Why not add real value to our economy and our Kiwi workforce ?
Why spend millions of $ for enquiry when we all know the government (Supervisonry authority) disregarded safety issues ?
Why not honour the people of Greymonth and spend this money construction a safe and decent future – building “The Pike River Aqua Centre” and businesses involved in fresh water in stead of destroying peoples and other life ?
Why not go “NZ100%pure Economy” in stead of dirty coal, dirty waters – a dirty planet ?
Why not make real money in our economy ?
Just a thought for the government and others.
Vote:January 15th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
..and PM – where are the incentives to increase real, sustainable production, where are the incentives for skilful NZjobs ? Why are minister Hide, Brownlee and Joyce not forced to allocate quality infrastructure orders (Telecommunication/ Energy/ Transport) to NZcompanies in order to increase better job opportunities, full employment and to reduce our account deficit ?
..and why are young gangs increasingly roaming the streets/ prisons and not NZfactories doing decent jobs ?
..and why are you saying we have to wait and see or see and wait ?
..and PM – why are you not making decisions and leads this country out of recession, away from an unbalanced economy – into a better future ?
—–
Small countries have to think small, but with bigger ideas – branding for a “100%NZpure Economy”
Vote:January 17th, 2011 at 7:33 am
The Dark Lord of Coal Country – an interesting link to read especially for insiders: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-dark-lord-of-coal-country-20101129?page=1
Vote:January 26th, 2011 at 9:31 am
So it transpires that there are in fact bodies intact. And pallets and cement and other things.
You fukkers are dicks, especially the author. Only teeth and ash left? Stick to blathering on about Wellington shit Farrar and leave the real stuff to the grown ups.
Bunch of wankers.
Vote: