Lessons from Pike River
I agree with your conclusion in ‘‘Casting a light on Pike River tragedy’’ (July 21) that we owe it to the families and ourselves to take another step towards solving the mystery of what happened on November 19, 2010.
There are many law and policy lessons to be learned from disasters and their aftermath.
Can we be sure disasters won’t happen again if there is no solution to the mystery?
In reports on Stuff on May 6, 2013, Judge Jane Farish convicted Pike River Coal Ltd (in receivership) in Greymouth District Court on April 18, 2013, on nine health and safety failures.
In a report in the NZ Herald, October 30, 2013, Judge Farish said it was ‘‘morally unjust’’ the way that Pike River had been able to fold so soon after the disaster and escape having to pay anything towards the families welfare.
New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) shareholders were the largest secured shareholder in the mine when the disaster occurred. NZOG voted on October 30, 2013, not to pay reparation of $3.41 million to Pike River families.
As pointed out in a Southland Times letter of June 6 this year, NZOG has launched its booklet Great Southern Drilling Opportunities in the Canterbury and Great South Basins.
Do Southland communities have enough information and feel comfortable about this?
Just casting a light on exploration in the Great South Basin. I refer to the article by Evan Harding (July 20) regarding provincial growth funding and the comments from Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie.
In the article she states the current government was ignoring the Lumsden Maternity Centre, Roxburgh children’s camp and Te Anau Rescue Helicopter.
Where was the previous governments support for Roxburgh Children’s Health Camp (now Stand Children’s Village) during their term when funding for the organisation has been frozen for many years?
Both major parties profess the importance of children and their well being.
Talk not action seems to be the order of the day. I fully agree with mayors Bryan and Tim Cadogan’s comments previously published in The Southland Times. The three organisations mentioned are extremely important and deserve financial support. I write regarding the exceptional article last Friday entitled ‘‘When arts and sports converge’’.
Art and sport mixed together is very important in life. Creative inspiration, in many forms, needs to be encouraged more throughout NZ communities.
Sport for health , fitness and enjoyment is paramount.
The arts culture promotes diversity in a visually dynamic way, which makes life interesting. To think outside the square and showcase art in many places is innovative.
When sport is incorporated with creativity, and visa versa, everyone wins. There seems to be a growing centre-right voter panic in New Zealand. With the National Party having essentially mirrored the posturing and policy of the Labour Party over recent years, the centre-right voter is becoming bereft of options.
However, this deficit of choice is entirely selfinduced.
With the brief exception of the now- defunct United Future Party, whenever a new right-ofcentre political vehicle has raised its head on the political spectrum, centre-right voters have talked change, but then voted status quo.
In reality, the average centre-right voter is a self-interested political coward, and it is this selfinterested cowardice that has resulted in the centre-left now dominating the political landscape, both now, and in all likelihood, for some time to come. For a centre-right voter to now expect any other future outcome as a result of historical voting choices made, is simply an exercise in juvenile hubris.