Dissent on Pike River ‘silencing’
The original Pike River families spokesman says he has resigned from a group representing them because he would not sign a confidentiality agreement.
Bernie Monk, whose son Michael was killed in the Pike River Mine in November 2010, said he had resigned from the Family Reference Group (FRG).
The group was set up to work with the Pike River Recovery Agency on behalf of the Pike River families. It now consists of Pike widow Anna Osborne, Pike mother Sonya Rockhouse, documentary film-maker Tony Sutorius and Wellington communications adviser Rob Egan.
Monk said he refused to sign the ‘‘no surprises’’ document.
‘‘You can’t bind me to a confidentiality agreement. I’m standing my ground, I’m not going to do it,’’ he said.
After speaking up for families for more than eight years, Monk did not want to be silenced or have to consult police before speaking publicly.
However, he still had a good relationship with police and would continue to help Pike River families, he said.
‘‘I’ve since spoken to the police and they’ve said they don’t need me to sign anything and they will still fill me in on what’s happening but I won’t be part of the FRG. It’s business as usual for me but without the restraint of other people.’’
Meanwhile, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little has announced May 3 as the date for the re-entry, but this depended on all of the necessary pre-conditions being met. It is hoped re-entry could provide clues as to what caused the explosions that killed 29 men at the West Coast mine on November 19, 2010.
Monk said the families had been waiting for re-entry for more than eight years. ‘‘History is being made on the third of May. It’s quite exciting,’’ he said. ‘‘This plan is very similar to the plan we had in 2013. Finally it is coming to fruition.
‘‘If it wasn’t for this coalition Government, we would never be going in. I take my hat off to the Pike River families for sticking with it and the Government for making it happen.’’
Little said work completed in preparation for re-entry included installing monitoring equipment and ventilating the drift.
Re-entry could not go ahead until more compressed air lines were installed, underground equipment such as loaders, roof bolting rigs, a driftrunner and a refuge chamber arrived from Australia, and a concrete seal at 30 metres could be breached.
‘‘Once the 30-metre seal is breached, then the re-entry and recovery operation can begin,’’ he said.