Katene Rahui: Motions — Pike River Mine West Coast—Explosion 
Katene Rahui: Motions — Pike River Mine West Coast—Explosion 
[Volume:669;Page:15640] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Speaker. Tena koutou katoa. I rise on behalf of the Maori Party to join with the other parties of this House to express our support for the miners their whanau and the wider community of Te Tai Poutini at this time. 
The West Coast of the South Island has a unique character that is written in the lives of every Coaster. It is a place of unbelievable beauty: the wild untamed bush the fierce waves crashing on the coastline and the rugged landscape of glaciers surging rivers and valleys coming together under the towering gaze of the mighty Southern Alps. This land has been explored by settlers for well over 150 years and well before that by others. It welcomes to its borders the entrepreneurs and adventurers seeking to find greenstone gold timber and coal. It resonates with the pioneering spirit and the resilience of the people who have carved out a distinctive place in our nation’s history. 
But that history unfortunately has also borne the pain all too often of great tragedy. Today that history takes another turn. We in the Maori Party share with every member in this House the agonising pain of the events that have transpired at Pike River. In the last few days I have travelled to Greymouth and have felt the unspeakable sorrow that is etched in the faces of every single person be they official miner rescue team agencies or whanau. As others have said this is an extremely close-knit community and a community whose members place great value on their relationships with each other. Once a Coaster always a Coaster. 
It is a community that has held hope high while also bearing the heaviness of a history that has led them to fear the worst. This is a community devastated by the fatalities of the Strongman Mine disaster of 19 January 1967 the Dobson Mine disaster of 3 December 1926 and the Brunner Mine disaster of 26 March 1896. It is a community peopled by descendants who know the stories of a funeral procession 6000 strong; a community where mass graves at Stillwater Cemetery and Karoro Cemetery mark that tragic past. Now it is a community hoping with every breath that it can summon that there will not be a new date to add to its collective memory—Friday 19 November 2010. 
In the midst of the anguish and fear there is something so moving about the pioneering spirit that re-emerges to support those who are so devastated by the grief of these days. I spoke with Ngati Waewae who are poised ready to go to provide the support the manaakitanga that will be so needed. I have been humbled by the relentless optimism of all those associated at the site. The mining officials have invested every ounce of human energy into preparing for the rescue mission. I have spoken with whanau members with a direct link to the whanau of some of the 29 families involved. They are all on the verge of despair yet they cling valiantly to the hope and faith that will carry them through. 
Our hearts and our aroha are with Te Tai Poutini. We understand the fragile vulnerability of this community and we all must endeavour to do our best to provide the support that is so vital at this time of crisis. There will be plenty of time later for reviews for commissions of inquiry and for questions and media interest to be satisfied but at this time a community is dealing with such an intense and horrific situation that we must caution against any unnecessary or uncalled-for attack. The community just like the mine itself is near the point of explosion. The last thing that any of us would want is for the volatility of this situation to be provoked. There are people who are right on the edge and if I could leave one thought for us all it is that we must apply ourselves to the greatest challenge of this time: to express our compassion our love and our unconditional support to help them all walk through the difficult days ahead. Ma te Atua koutou e manaaki e tiaki i nga wa katoa. 
[ 
God will care and protect you collectively at all times 
.]