Greymouth looks likely to be the base for the new Pike River Recovery Agency, but it just needs the final nod of approval from Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry, Andrew Little.
"The final decision is his and he will be making an announcement in due course," Pike River Establishment Unit general manager AJ Millward, of Wellington, said in Greymouth yesterday.
The remains of 29 mine workers have yet to be recovered after explosions at the West Coast mine in November 2010.
Ms Millward was in town to update members of the West Coast Regional Council and Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn on the agency.
She said Wellington staff had accompanied her to Greymouth and were looking at four possible office locations in the town.
The agency would have a staff of nine and start operating formally from January 31, 2018. Recruitment of staff was under way.
"The State Services Commission is working to appoint a chief executive - people have been shortlisted and we should have a name in place by Christmas time.
"It's likely to be a public sector person but it is important there is a senior site manager and mine manager."
Cr Peter Ewen asked whether the chief executive would be based in Wellington.
He expressed concern that errors made in the past with chief executives being located outside the region would be repeated.
"It has been fraught with problems and was a strong criticism of the Royal Commission into the mine disaster."
Ms Millward said she did not know where the chief executive would be based.
"It's still up in the air, but either way, the minister has said the chief executive must spend time down here."
As to possible re-entry to the mine, she said the agency was "planning a process to make a decision if re-entry would occur."
Safety was the number one priority, she said.
"The agency will collect all the information out there and then sift it down with the families and experts and start a concept plan.
"It is a work in stages.
"The minister will make his decision; this will happen in September next year; he may say 'no' if there is no way to make it safe.
"From there it may go to the recovery phase, collecting evidence and collecting any remains.
"When that phase is finished, it will become rehabilitation and the role of DOC who will establish a memorial and information centre on the site."
Ms Millward assured councillors and Mr Kokshoorn that the process would be "open and transparent".
"If we don't get the process right; it's a fail."
She said it was important that the agency was "outcome focussed" and not "outcome biased."
Mr Kokshoorn welcomed the probability Greymouth would be the base for the agency and asked that his council would be kept informed.
"Thanks for setting the agency up here; it all helps."
Regional council chairman Andrew Robb applauded the openness that was being shown which included conference calls with the Pike River families each Monday: "It will help the decision and a go a long way to helping the families a lot better than what happened before. Openness is good for the whole process."
Ms Millward said meetings were being held with the Pike River families every two to three weeks.
The four-phase plan revealed:
1 - Establish: completion date, January 31, 2018. Agency starts; mine taken over from Solid Energy; planning process for re-entry determined.
2 - Plan: completion date mid 2018. Contractors appointed; information collated; assess risk and develop final plan; ministerial decision made on re-entry.
3 - Recover: completion date March 2019. Recover drift, collect any evidence, recover any remains.
4 - Rehabilitate. Seal mine, rehabilitate site, transfer to DOC.
- By Chris Tobin
