8. Pike River Mine Disaster—Advice and Re-entry and Recovery OperationRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister for the EnvironmentPike River Mine Disaster—Advice and Re-entry and Recovery Operation8. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister for the Environment: Does he stand by all his statements on Pike River mine; if so how?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment): Yes; in the context in which the statements were made.Rt Hon Winston Peters: When he was seeking clarification on 1 May from officials regarding the disclosure of evidence and whether it may contradict Solid Energy's position did he have that information on 2 May when he said: Manned re-entry is not possible."?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Yes. The very comprehensive assessment that was done by Solid Energy identified hundreds of risks and showed that manned re-entry deep into the drift was not safely achievable.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. On 1 May he said he was seeking advice from officials that may contradict Solid Energy. Now he just said then he is relying upon Solid Energy. My question was based on his very quotes—not Solid Energy's evidence but the alternative officials' evidence that he was seeking on 1 May.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The way forward is on this occasion I will invite the member to repeat the question.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Thank you very much Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: It is my pleasure. [Interruption] Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Ha ha! Don't worry—the feeling is mutual. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order!Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: When he was seeking clarification on 1 May from officials regarding the disclosure of evidence and whether it may contradict Solid Energy's position did he have that information on 2 May when he said: "Manned re-entry is not possible."?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I was interviewed on Monday morning. I said at that time that I did not have sufficient advice in respect of the specifics of the video. I met later that day with Solid Energy and with advisers from Police and the Department of Conservation. On the Tuesday when I was asked I stated that there was nothing in the video that changed the assessment that was done by Solid Energy that manned entry of the Pike River mine could not be done safely.Stuart Smith: Has the Minister received any new information on the robot video footage?Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Usually the person asking the primary question gets more than one supplementary question before it goes to the other side.Mr SPEAKER: The member is right; what did confuse me is that I gave him effectively a repeat of the first question—so the member is right. However I have now given the call to Stuart Smith. That is the way it will remain.Stuart Smith: Has the Minister received any new information on the robot video footage?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Yes I have received advice from Police today that police specifically showed families at meetings in Greymouth and Christchurch in July 2011 the footage broadcast on Newshub of the workers with the robot at the portal as part of about 8 hours of video shown to the families at those meetings. About 100 family members were invited to those meetings and about 25 attended. There are also paper records of the families being advised in 2011 of the robot emitting smoke in the drift of the mine at the time. This confirms that the video was neither secret nor deliberately withheld from the families.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If he values expert advice why has he ignored thorough assessments by (1) New Zealand Mines Rescue; (2) Queensland Mines Rescue Service; and (3) Tony Forster former Chief Mines Inspector—all of whom conclude that residual risk can be controlled for a manned re-entry?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: No that is not the advice for instance of the New Zealand Mines Rescue Trust. I draw to the member's attention specifically the statement that it made to the select committee and the further statement it made on Tuesday this week.Stuart Smith: Why are the claims that the video footage shows it is quite safe to re-enter deep into the drift of the mine incorrect?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The video shows the robot in March 2011 emitting smoke and some have claimed this shows that there is no risk of an explosion in the mine. This overlooks the fact that the mine at that time was being pumped full of nitrogen an inert gas. This is very different today where the mine all bar the very first 30 metres is near 100 percent methane. The second claim made is that the video shows men working quite safely in the drift of the mine with the robot. Initially it was claimed that they were deep in the drift but the Mines Rescue Trust which did the work has clarified that they were only a few metres in. There is nothing new in men being in the first section of the drift and this has occurred multiple times with the construction of the temporary seal in 2011 and more permanently in 2016. There is nothing in this information that changes the fundamental assessment done by Solid Energy that manned re-entry deep into the mine is not safely possible.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If any of that is remotely true why did Pike River management instruct drilling contractors not to drill where the drilling entry into the mine would be directly in the presence of a driftrunner?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I would be happy to follow up on where that drilling occurred at the time. I would note that there was close consultation with the families in the decisions that were made back in 2011 when there were robots and other devices put into the drift of the mine. I can also assure the member that the Government and Solid Energy are working very closely with the families in implementing the decision by Prime Minister English for unmanned entry to occur and for it to occur where the families would wish providing it can be done feasibly and safely. Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why did he not tell us that the Mines Rescue Trust is funded largely by Solid Energy and if a manned re-entry into the mine is a health and safety issue—as he keeps saying—why then well after the second blast was it deemed safe for workers to go 400 metres into the mine's drift as shown in this photographic evidence I am holding? Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I really do question the member challenging the integrity of the New Zealand Mines Rescue Trust which in my view is very well respected and I would say that this Parliament should take its advice on issues of safety very seriously. In respect of the fact that men have been down the drift that was publicly repeatedly reported both when the seal was constructed at 170 metres and when the seal was constructed at 30 metres. Of course in that early section of the drift it has been absolutely open that there have been men doing work but it is a very different thing to have men over a kilometre into the drift of the mine. Hon Paula Bennett: Could he please confirm whether or not the footage will go on a website today under a password for the families who have requested to be able to look at it and that it will be publicly available tomorrow so the member can scroll through 30 hours of footage if he wishes to and take as many of the pictures as he likes so he can then apologise to police—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am not going to sit here and take that blatant fallacious and lying attack. [Interruption] You have got it all wrong. Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. The first part of the question asked by the Hon Paula Bennett is in order which is effectively: can you confirm that that footage will be put on a website and be available? Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I have been advised by the police that the full video record will be available from that fourth robot as of today including that they will actually be showing the portion that was shown to the families. The police have appropriately decided that the families should get access to that material firstly and are providing a password. They are also saying that the full video record will be available more generally to the public tomorrow. Hon Damien O'Connor: Why would the Minister and his Government allow the removal of the wreck from the Astrolabe Reef but are now preventing the possible removal of miners' bodies from the drift of the Pike River mine—both achievable and requiring calculated risk management? Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I am actually very familiar with the issues of both the Rena and Pike River and the member may be interested to note that in both situations there was expert evidence and particularly with the depth of material parts of the Rena remains are not to be recovered because there was concern about safety—they were so deep. Equally so there is expert advice that very clearly shows that safe re-entry deep into the Pike River mine is unsafe."