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PIKE RIVER FAMILIES GROUP COMMITTEE

PRESS RELEASE

Pike River Families Group Committee

The Pike River Families Group Committee recently undertook a survey of its Family members to clarify the wishes of Families in terms of the path they wish to take looking to the future. A clear majority of Family members supported the continuation of the Groups work with the Government to implement the proposals agreed with the Government at the meeting held between the Parties in Greymouth on the 6th of November 2014.

The proposals include the importance to Families of the continued investigation into ways of bringing individuals responsible for the Pike River Mine Disaster to justice, and the incorporation of the Pike River Mine site and surrounding area into the Paparoa National Park to ensure the future protection of the area and to ensure continued access to the area for Families and the New Zealand public.

Families also support the establishment of a track, of Great Walk status, connecting the Pike River Mine area on the eastern side of the Paparoa Range to the Punakaiki area on the Western side of the Paparoa Range and utilising existing Pike River Mine building infrastructure to establish an accommodation/visitors centre for the Families and the New Zealand public, with the Visitors Centre incorporating the history of the Pike River Mine Disaster, New Zealanders response to the disaster and incorporating a function and training facility.

Family members view the latter proposals as a positive way of providing an enduring memorial to their men and an enduring economic benefit to the local West Coast communities which suffered significantly from the loss of the Mine and the economic benefit it provided.

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