Families praise Pike River vow
The National Party are yet to meet with representatives of the Pike River victims’ families ahead of early coalition discussions with NZ First.
Bernie Monk, Sonya Rockhouse and Anna Osborne met with NZ First leader Winston Peters yesterday. They met with Labour leader Jacinda Ardern and Green Party MPS on Wednesday.
The meeting was ‘‘very reassuring’’, Monk said, and Peters was ‘‘going to make things happen’’ to get the bodies of the 29 men back from the mine. ‘‘It’s the first time we’ve had someone really stand beside us from that time at the gate and now the other parties have come on board,’’ Monk said.
‘‘I think the country supports what we’ve been doing … and this is a big step forward here today.’’
Monk said they were open to meeting with National.
‘‘Every time we’ve been up here, they’ve always found a way not to meet us. They know we’re in town, if they want to meet us we’re always open to meeting with them.’’
Peters said he met with Monk and other family representatives ‘‘at their request’’.
When asked why he was prioritising a meeting with Monk ahead of coalition discussions with Ardern and National leader Bill English, Peters said ‘‘those are the circumstances’’.
He would not reveal the nature of their discussions, saying it was ‘‘confidential’’.
‘‘I mean to do what’s right by those people.
‘‘It’s about natural justice – they’ve been denied justice.’’
Rockhouse and Osborne, who both lost relatives in the November 2010 mine explosion, also attended the meeting. Rockhouse said Peters doubled down on his earlier assertion that he would re-enter the mine to bring the 29 bodies home, if possible. ‘‘It’s one of his bottom lines, so they [National and Labour] won’t have much choice,’’ she said.
Osborne said Peters was ‘‘certainly a man of principle’’ and was sticking to his word.
‘‘To have that reaffirmed today has been amazing, and certainly put a smile on Pike River families’ faces, that’s for sure.
‘‘We met with Jacinda Ardern yesterday and we met with two Green Party MPS as well. She [Ardern] still stands by what she said – in the first 100 days she’s going to get an agency set up to deal with the Pike River mine re-entry, and by the end of 2018, it’ll be all done and dusted.’’