Police to reopen Pike River probe
Work on case to resume in tandem with re-entry plan
Police are reopening their inquiry into the Pike River Mine explosion five years after they first closed the case. Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers visited Greymouth last week to meet the Pike River Recovery Agency and representatives of families of the 29 men who died as a result of the methane blast eight years ago.
Detective Superintendent Peter Read, who led the initial inquiry, also attended.
“The purpose was to discuss the police role and processes to come regarding planning for re-entry to the drift.
“Those discussions raised the option of a police member being seconded to work closely with the Pike River Recovery Agency, albeit remotely,” a statement said.
Commissioner Mike Bush also met with affected families last year for the first time since police closed the case in 2013 without laying charges “to express police support for the reentry planning, as well as police commitment to completion of investigative steps if re-entry to the drift was achieved”.
Pike River Mine is 46km northeast of Greymouth.
Last week Chambers and Read also met Pike River family representatives Bernie Monk and Anna Osborne.
“Police would have a dual role should re-entry to the drift be achieved,” police said.
“One involves completion of the scene examination in relation to the original police investigation. The other role involves management of any processes required on behalf of the Coroner.”
Osborne, a Greymouth councillor and wife of Milton Osborne, who was killed during the blast, said she sat down with police when they highlighted the impending inquiry.
She said police turned up to familiarise themselves with the recovery agency staff.
“We sat and chatted about [how] families thought the police hadn’t handled [ matters] well in the past.
“And how things can hopefully change so we can hopefully build some truth and transparency to hopefully get a good result.”
Osborne said the families still thought of Pike River Mine as a crime scene.
“There is still evidence to be gathered as to what caused the explosion and also to get body parts and remains in the drift to return them to their loved ones.”
Finding remains was important for the affected families so they could choose a proper place to bury their loved ones. “Twenty-nine men went to work that morning and never returned home to their families.
“There is more than one person responsible for this tragedy but the people that are involved and responsible have walked away scot-free and have not faced any charges.”
It was not good enough for that many men to die and no one to be prosecuted, she said.
Osborne supported police pressing charges if evidence of responsibility was uncovered.
On November 19, 2010 a methane blast at the mine trapped 29 workers inside, where their bodies remain.
Any new evidence found would be assessed to determine what, if any, relevance it had to the inquiry which closed in July 2013, police said.