Look at this picture – the National Party said this could never happen

19
2

Look at this picture, the National Party said this could never happen

‘Start of something huge’: Families re-enter Pike River with Andrew Little

Andrew Little has walked into the entrance of Pike River mine with family representatives in a heavily symbolic, emotional gesture.

Inside the entrance shaft, the minister embraced Sonya Rockhouse, whose son Ben died in the 2010 explosion and Anna Osborne, whose husband Milton was also killed.

Despite Key telling the families privately that he would get their family out from a mine death that should never have happened if there was proper regulation and oversight. Despite National reneging on that private assurance and attempt to seal the mine off forever, Andrew Little has brought dignity and grace to this issue.

His mana only continues to build with the humanity and intelligence he uses to every portfolio he is given.

Remember that above image when the National Party insist things can’t be done.

19 COMMENTS

  1. Yes we have a lot to thank Mr Little for if it wasn’t for him we would still be waiting for our brighter future. He has shown what a wonderful caring man he is unlike the nasty monsters we had in power for 9 yrs.

  2. To all those people, both right and left, who slammed Andrew Little for his lack of leadership when he was Labour Party leader and Leader of the Opposition.
    Now hasn’t he shown that he is actually a REAL leader. Since becoming a minister in the Labour-led government he has had been thrown some of the most difficult and contentious ministerial portfolios. As well as Pike River Mine re-entry he also handles justice, treaty negotiations and the spy organisations.
    And he has done a pretty darned good job so far, even Stuff’n fluff acknowledges this.
    Not bad for a person who supposedly had no leadership skills eh Farrar, Hosking, Garner, Espiner et al.?
    You f..wits know nothing!

    • Mike, I personally witnessed his leadership in 1999 when as union leader he bought empathy, leadership and REAL human dignity, when the Toyota assembly car plant was shut down. This is just another example of someone wanting to do right by the people of our country. National could never ever understand this.

  3. Be interesting to find out if the whole mine turns out to be a crime scene, e.g. by showing obvious signs some of the miners were still very much alive after the first (and even second explosions) desperately waiting to be rescued by our government. I’ve always held that this possibility is the real reason National had no interest in entering the mine.

    • Exactly , NITRIUM.

      This is an interesting video of a similar explosion which killed 29 men also ij the USA , around 2-3 months before Pike River.

      ………………………………..

      The Law Works Special – The Upper Big Branch Coal Mine … – YouTube
      Video for big branch mining disaster the law works you tube▶ 55:48
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSE8hucqEz8

      ………………………………..

      The interesting thing was the same company also had indirect control over Pike River through various American and Australian consortium’s …

      And for an interesting glimpse into those who should be charged locally and why :

      …………………………………

      murder at pike river mine? – WordPress.com
      https://envirowatchrangitikei.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/murderatpikerivermine.pdf

      …………………………………

      And here , a rough copy from Penny Bright.

      …………………………………

      “MURDER AT PIKE RIVER MINE?” Timeline………… « The Watchdog
      https://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/murder-at-pike-river-mine-timeline/

      …………………………………

      Anyone who takes the time to let the reality of these facts sink in cannot escape the fact that there has been collusion and skulduggery going on with the recent National Govt. And not only was it corrupt and immoral , it became murderous after the build up of failed safety standards culminated in Pike River with their unwillingness to enforce even the pathetic legislation they had passed.

      And it is all to do with big money and corporate favours.

      It is a little known fact , for example , that New Zealand’s West coast ironsands from Northland to Bluff have been estimated to exceed in value 1 to 5 Trillion dollars worth.

      …………………………………

      The Standard has this article :

      Andrew Little: Together, we will fight for justice for Pike families « The …
      https://thestandard.org.nz/andrew-little-together-we-will-fight-for-justice-for-pike-fam

      And in that article I provided a link , – which , – was deleted soon after I posted it on The Standard. However , I managed to cut and paste the exact words of those concerned , – the Chief Executive at the time of Solid Energy. Here is what he stated :

      …………………………………

      … ” And the licenses have been granted , are still in effect waiting for the chance for it to become publicly acceptable. And that includes mining in our National parks. And you will recall both John Key and Gerry Brownlee enthusiastically put forward the idea of mining those National park areas soon after that Govt took power.

      It was fortunately voted down by the public , but that didn’t stop them holding onto the hope.

      The “in-ground resource value” of New Zealand’s extensive ironsand deposits could be between $1 trillion and $5 trillion, says state-owned energy company Solid Energy.

      The iron ore contained in ironsands off the west coast of the North Island has been estimated to be worth a trillion dollars, but Solid Energy chief executive Don Elder said that “the industry view is increasingly that (the value) could be substantially greater than that”.

      The final value would depend on the price of steel, and the availability of technology to smelt ironsands, he told Parliament’s commerce select committee yesterday.

      “Resources are attracting margins or profits in the order of 20 percent of the revenue.”

      Prices seen in 2008 would mean profit margins of 50 percent or “significantly higher” could be available from ironsands.

      A New Zealand-based company, Trans Tasman Resources Ltd (TTR), and overseas rivals are looking at exploiting New Zealand ironsands, and TTR has suggested that a domestic steel mill could use local high-grade coking coal to refine the ironsands.

      Dr Elder said Chinese companies had cheaper labour and capital and could do such projects faster, but New Zealand had an advantage in the availability of the water needed for such a refinery.

      “If you could process those in New Zealand, it’s a much much better value opportunity and would certainly compete with doing the same thing in China under the right circumstances, with the right technology”…

  4. Yes, how symbolic it all was as they entered 30m into the drive and ran up against the concrete wall. The cost of this pointless exercise could go to Middlemore to fully repair their buildings. I don’t think you can credit Andrew Little for what was no more than a stunt. Even the media reporters seemed less than impressed with the event.

    • “The cost of this pointless exercise could go to Middlemore to fully repair their buildings.”

      Actually the cost for these repairs were spent on a vanity flag referendum.

  5. Andrew Little has always been a man of the people, through his work as a lawyer and union president/advocate. He knows how to do things correctly.

    This is where Little shines and through his dealings with the Pike River disaster so far, he’s emerging as a star and a champion for the ordinary Kiwi, particularly those who have been battling against the odds, forgotten and treated badly, as unfortunately is the case with the Pike River families.

    At last they have someone on their side, who will do his very best for them and their deceased loved ones.

    A very emotional picture, but one I hope will see a new beginning for the families and colleagues of the 29 miners who didn’t come out of the mine.

  6. If New Zealanders dont understand the symbolism of what Andrew Little has done, and dont get the hyoocrisy of the National Party, then they are beyond help.

  7. I don’t believe the Labour leadership role was best for either Andrew Little or the party. But since he’s been relieved of that burden, he’s become the Labour government’s best performing minister by a some margin.

  8. Read that in various news articles late last night/early morn.

    Well done Mr Little , it is refreshing to see a ‘can do’ attitude instead of the suspect motives of the previous National govt. Suspect because now we are seeing a volume of things they pathetically withheld from the population come to light .This issue being one of them.

    And to those who snidely remark about this being some sort of publicity stunt , you are vicious.

    Obviously to Sonya Rockhouse and Anna Osbourne it was a very emotional beginning and a solemn one for those others that were also present. And if they felt that Labour was on side with them , – they would know far better than you having been kept in the loop what this ‘symbolic’ move actually represented.

    Unlike being fobbed off, having their opinions rubbished , and then finally violated with Nationals attempt to permanently seal the mine off and running roughshod over the family’s for political reasons. How despicable. Its good that Govt is gone. May their ilk never return.

    And the beard looks great , Mr Little.

  9. Michael, had the National Govt been doing their job properly Middlemore Hospital would not be yet another costly mess for the coalition govt to fix. And they will. And how did it happen ?

    As Mjolnir says, symbols are powerful. And addressing the tragedy of the Pike River dead, and their bereft kin, also symbolises that “Honour has come back, as a king, to earth.”

    Whatever the outcome, we owe it to the dead, and to ourselves, to do everything we can to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.

    If the desultory bunch of National hangers-on are unable to understand this, then they may have been unwise in following the leader they did.

    Kia kaha Pike River families.

Comments are closed.