Peters WinstonRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First): If the Canterbury Crusaders played like that member Matt Doocey they would be in the third division. According to John Key Bill English and Nick Smith Pike River is a death trap. Dr Smith's claim of 100000 cubic metres of methane is—if you will excuse the mixed metaphor—a smokescreen. They must think Kiwis are stupid. If there is no oxygen there is no fire as that smouldering robot demonstrated.In the long history of mining and mine disasters in New Zealand only two bodies have never been recovered since 1879 until Pike River—of which Justice Mahon would have said prophetically I am forced reluctantly to say that I listened to an orchestrated litany of lies." Tony Forster New Zealand's former Chief Inspector of Mines had never seen the footage and he said it evaporates all the mythology about the mine's condition. Seeing people calmly working away destroys the lies of it being a death trap. We know that 1.6 kilometres is in good condition. That is no surprise—it is made from hard rock with a tensile strength of some 20000 p.s.i. If the families' experts are right on the mine's condition why would they be wrong on recovery plans or a template that has been successfully used all around the world?None of this makes sense unless we are witnessing a serious cover-up. Just why would Mr English not allow the family to watch footage from a high-definition camera dropped down a pre-drilled pilot shaft and then say in the House that he cannot recall them asking? Just today—this was a meeting in January. What is there to hide? The police have been back-pedalling on the footage while the Prime Minister said the families had seen it. They claim they have not. The royal commission cannot recall seeing it either; nor can QC Hampton remember seeing it. The fact remains that the mine's rescue staff were not Mr English 2 metres into the mine but hundreds of metres inside the mine.The Government keeps changing its story by the hour. Dr Smith a flannel-eared varsity skellum if ever I saw one said this: "It's always been public knowledge that men were working in the drift near the entrance." How do you think the seal was built? Those activities go down 200 to 300 metres. I knew men had worked in the first 100 metres putting the robot down but last year in November this is what Dr Smith said: "There is 100000 cubic metres of methane in this mine. The levels are basically 98 percent. The expert advice is uncontested that there are heat sources in that mine capable of triggering an explosion if any oxygen were to get in the mine." That is what he said—right? So we had men in there waiting for a disaster. Is that true Mr Smith? He cannot have it both ways. This is an orchestrated you-know-what. This stinks and it is not of methane.Earlier this year there were reports of a Driftrunner used to transport mine staff in the vicinity of the rockfall at the Pike River Mine indicating that contractors at Pike River Mine and others knew that the Driftrunner was there but were unable to say so publicly because of gagging orders placed on them by Solid Energy. We looked into this and in recent days received alarming new information that confirmed these reports. The information that has emerged should have the whole country and every journalist worth their salt asking questions of the Government.Following questions by New Zealand First it was confirmed to us that a drilling contractor at Pike River Mine has been paid nearly $5000 each and every month for the last 3 years to have two drills sitting idly at Pike River Mine. That is the contractor we are after. Why? Why would the Government pay that amount of money for equipment not being used? Why also has the contractor got a contract with a specific clause gagging them from speaking to the media and requiring them to tell Solid Energy's media director if the media ever contacts them? Why has the Government refused the families' request to see what has gone on down there? If the Government has got nothing to hide if there is no cover-up here then they would immediately have released the contractor from his gagging clause allowed him to speak to the media and allowed the families to have a camera put down the bore holes into the slimline shaft.If the Government does not allow this to happen then this is the conclusion: there is a rotten cover-up going on and it will go on and on. But I tell you from our experience that sooner or later this Government is going to cave in on this matter. We know that there are people out there with the information and sooner or later it is going to come out. The result is going to see a whole lot of these backbenchers gone in September."