Podcasts about Pike River

If there's anyone who shouldn't be told they can wind things back on the health and safety front, it's a New Zealander. Because generally, we are absolute shockers when it comes to this sort of thing and our health and safety laws are the only thing standing between our “she'll be right” attitude and misery and tragedy. Especially when you consider that —even with the health and safety laws we have at the moment— our workplace fatality rate is 60% higher than Australia's and more than 500% higher than the UK's. So a perfect time, isn't it, for us to be getting rid of what the Government says is WorkSafe's “safety-at-all costs mentality”? Just in case you think I'm a health and safety freak, I'm not. But I'm also enough of a realist to know that, without these laws, more people would be going home at the end of the day injured or not going home at all. Another reason why us New Zealanders are the last people to be told we can go a bit easy on the old health and safety is that we have very short memories. I haven't forgotten the 19th of November 2010, when the first Pike River explosion happened. I remember distinctly getting home from work that afternoon and all of us watching the live coverage. That was what set-in-train a huge overhaul of health and safety laws because, as we eventually discovered, the guy who ran the mine wasn't the hero we all initially thought he was. Pike River was where it all started. And the government is setting out today to walk all over the progress that we've made since then – apparently because we've gone too far with it. But even though I'm just as capable as the next person of shaking my head at some of the things businesses and employers are required to do in the name of keeping people safe, I'm not happy about the screws being loosened. But what the Government has in its favour is that most people haven't experienced the consequences of things going pear-shaped at work. That's why it's so easy to dismiss health and safety as an overreaction. But I bet if you have known someone who has lost their life at work or if you know someone who has been seriously injured at work, then you'll have a much more realistic view of things. The irony is we've got the Government on one hand saying today that its crackdown on badly-behaved state housing tenants has worked But, on the other hand, it's saying that it wants to be less heavy-handed on employers who don't do everything they can to keep their people safe. Which is why the Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety, Brooke van Velden, wants WorkSafe to ditch what she's calling its “adversarial nature” and to move from managing risk generally to critical risk. But what on earth does that mean? Do you know the difference between “general” risk and “critical” risk? Example: is an extension cord running across the floor somewhere at work a “general risk” or a “critical risk”? The answer to that depends on the consequence. If the consequence of a power cable running across the floor in the office is just a bit of a nuisance and nothing else, then you could probably categorise it as a “general risk”. But if that cable lying across the floor means someone trips on it and they bang their head pretty hard on a wall and get some sort of brain bleed, then that becomes a “critical risk”, doesn't it? See what I mean? The idea of taking the pedal off the metal and only taking “critical risks” seriously probably sounds great to many of us. But dig a bit deeper or even think about it for a few minutes and you'll realise that it's a huge mistake. It's a bit like Trump coming in and saying that all this Paris climate change stuff is nonsense and suddenly you've got people around the world saying, “yeah yeah, enough of this climate change nonsense”. And the reason that's happening is because people like Trump are giving people permission to go all climate change-sceptic on it. Which is exactly what the Government is doing with its loosening of the health and safety laws. It's giving people permission to go easy on health and safety, which is the last thing us New Zealanders need when our default position is “she'll be right”. It is a disaster waiting to happen, all over again. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meme Girls: What did you think would be a bigger problem when you were a kid? The People's Poll: Does the week start on a Sunday or a Monday? What have you started and not finished? Matty went to the movies last night and someone next to him even though there were a ton of spare seats... Rob Sarkies, the Director of the new Pike River movie joins us to share all See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Kailyn Palomares's April visit to the Morning Show, we discuss the Pike River Restoration Project with Samanthan Kerkman, Kenosha County Executive .... Daniel Gashke, Vice Chair of the Kenosha County Board .... and Dave Giordano, Executive Director of Root Pike WIN.

The war on road cones has ratcheted up, with the coalition government setting up a hotline for people to report the overzealous use of road cones and no, it's not an April Fool's joke. The hotline is part of a first tranche of measures introduced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden, designed to reform the country's health and safety laws so businesses can focus on the necessary and the essential - not on the “senseless and superfluous” as Brooke van Velden told Mike Hosking this morning. “One of the things I heard from travelling from Whangarei to Bluff, talking to small business and workers, was that most of them don't know what to do to comply. We're going to make it a lot clearer, so you only need to focus on your critical risks. Things that will actually cause people harm, rather than posters saying warning hot water or warning here is a staircase. We've got to bring some common sense back to New Zealand and to business. “A lot of it is companies finding they're spending a lot of money on over compliance because they are fearful of prosecution. You know, and we've heard it even in the case of traffic management that sometimes some companies are spending nearly half of their project cost on temporary traffic management. So, we're bringing some common sense back and saying look, in some cases you're doing too much and in some cases, we need to focus less on the paperwork and making sure that WorkSafe has a paper trail and more on how you actually reduce harm in your workplace. Let's go back to what you can recognise as things that could cause death or serious illness and injury and not sweat the small stuff.” So businesses will now only notify WorkSafe when significant events occur, such as death, serious injury, and illness, which is a good thing. I remember coming out of the studio door a couple of years ago and a bit of loose metal cut the top of my foot. Not seriously, I required a Band-Aid, not stitches, but I had to fill out a workplace health and safety form. It was an incident. However, the Opposition spokesperson Jan Tinetti says the Government is weakening workplace health and safety reforms and is being reckless. She says health and safety is not a political game, and everyone must get home safely. And whenever I think of the words “getting home safely”, I think of Jahden Nelson. The 28-year-old scaffolder had to have both of his arms amputated after a metal pole he was carrying touched a live overhead power line. The workplace he'd been working on had been given a Close Approach Consent – that's required when work is being done near overhead power lines. The consent required the crew that put up the scaffolding to be the same crew that took it down for safety reasons, so they knew where the power lines were, they knew they were live – it makes sense. However, WorkSafe found none of the four man dismantling crew, including Jahden, had been involved at the outset. The initial crew received a safety briefing – not the dismantling crew. So the company was sentenced, and the fine was reduced to nothing because they couldn't pay it. And you know, ultimately it doesn't really matter what sort of fine they got or what sort of punishment they got because Jahden's the one who is living without his arms. A 28-year-old man, fit, strong, healthy, goes to work, spends six months in hospital, his life has changed forever because some numpty didn't bother to assess the critical risk and tell the dismantling crew ‘make sure the overhead power lines are switched off'. Or you don't go near them, or they're insulated. And that, I guess, is what Brooke van Velden is talking about, that if firms are focused on the critical risk factors involved in the business it makes much more sense than saying be careful of the Zip, the water's hot. We have an absolutely shocking record of work-related deaths. An estimated 10,000 people, men, women, and, in some cases, children have died from occupational ill health or workplace fatalities since 2010 – in 15 years, 10,000 people have died. And then you've got people like Jahden: didn't die. Has his life changed? You betcha. 420,000 people were injured at work. So I think some of these dumb rules came as a result of people just desperate to ensure that workers went to work and came home safely. I think they were trying everything, throwing everything at it. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has data from 2022, and it allows comparison between countries that use a risk management framework, which we've done since Pike River since 2010. According to this, almost three times as many people die at work in New Zealand than in the UK. So more rules, the word soup, hasn't made us safer. What will? What is it going to take to prevent the deaths of 10,000 more people over the next 15 years and having 420,000 people's lives changed - some irrevocably? Fewer rules and thinking for yourself? Well, that was a very laissez-faire attitude – that was the she'll be right attitude that some of the old timers still have. Surely there's got to be a balance between the she'll be right and the word soup. There's got to be a happy medium that sees workers go to work and come home safe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am more knowledgeable about the Pike River tragedy than Tony Gibson's Auckland Port court case. But out of Pike River came the law that got Gibson, as former boss of the Port of Auckland, over the death of a worker. He has been found guilty. He may appeal. You would imagine if the verdict stands and a penalty is imposed, it would have a severe chilling effect in the world of CEOs. Just where is the line for a boss in looking after the safety of the staff, beyond the broad-based and widely understood rules? Do court cases like this now reset those boundaries as to what you must, or might do, in regards safety in a large workplace? Some workplaces are inherently dangerous because of their nature. Rules will be in place, but how tight do those rules need to be? And it's out of that sort of expectation that life in general can sometimes be brought to a sort-of standstill by the “just in case” mentality. Work and safety is driven by good intention but is stifling in the real world. In taking the very specific responsibility right up the chain to the corner office for a person falling off, or falling over, or into something, that's a tremendous amount of very specific expectation – especially in a large company when the numerical gap between the boss and a bloke on the floor, or the machine, might well be large. It's an interesting concept, to judicially skip any number of people between the victim and the CEO. What I know about Pike River was it was a top-down mess. If you were looking for blame, there was no shortage of it to spread around. A lot of people wanted Peter Whittall to pay, but that was more predicated on him being an easy target, not because he, and he alone, was responsible. How much of the new law came out of the same mentality? "Don't worry about the detail or fairness, let's just look to have someone pay". And if that is what drove it, is that good law? Or is it a lot of potential trouble and a reason not to be the boss?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For their regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party's Ricardo Menéndez March about the arrival of hīkoi mō te tiriti on parliament grounds, as well as the government's plan to introduce visitors fees to conservation areas. He spoke to Margaret Mutu, a professor of Māori studies at the University of Auckland, for a follow up conversation about the hīkoi with a focus on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. For this week's Get Action! He spoke to Charlotte Melser representing the Concerned Communities of Taranaki and Manawatu, to discuss a petition of theirs opposing the granting of any seabed mining consents to Trans Tasman Resource Limited. And he spoke to Emeritus Professor of Law - Jane Kelsey, to discuss the impacts of Donald Trump's tariff proposal on the economy of New Zealand. Yesenia spoke to Director of Organising at E Tū - Savage, about the unions calls to the ministry of health to improve the Work and Safety Act of 2015 in wake of the 10-year annviersary of the Pike River mine disaster which killed 29 miners.  

On November 19th, 2010 a coal mining accident in Pike River Mine resulted in a methane explosion claiming the lives of 29 miners on the site. Now as the ten year anniversary has come and gone, the minister of Workplace relations, ACT MP Brooke van Velden read a statement commenorating the miners who have passed.  This comes after the minsters' actions on health and safety failed to understand the lessons of Pike River, the reduction of serious injuries and death at work, the harsh realities of workers needing safety standards.  Producer Yesenia spoke to Savage, Director of Organusations at E Tū about the core messages workers have for the ministry of Health, the high number of deaths occuring in a singular day and where the Work and Safety Act of 2015 could be improved ro reflect workers vitality. 

For their regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party's Ricardo Menéndez March about the arrival of hīkoi mō te tiriti on parliament grounds, as well as the government's plan to introduce visitors fees to conservation areas. He spoke to Margaret Mutu, a professor of Māori studies at the University of Auckland, for a follow up conversation about the hīkoi with a focus on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. For this week's Get Action! He spoke to Charlotte Melser representing the Concerned Communities of Taranaki and Manawatu, to discuss a petition of theirs opposing the granting of any seabed mining consents to Trans Tasman Resource Limited. And he spoke to Emeritus Professor of Law - Jane Kelsey, to discuss the impacts of Donald Trump's tariff proposal on the economy of New Zealand. Yesenia spoke to Director of Organising at E Tū - Savage, about the unions calls to the ministry of health to improve the Work and Safety Act of 2015 in wake of the 10-year annviersary of the Pike River mine disaster which killed 29 miners.  

On November 19th, 2010 a coal mining accident in Pike River Mine resulted in a methane explosion claiming the lives of 29 miners on the site. Now as the ten year anniversary has come and gone, the minister of Workplace relations, ACT MP Brooke van Velden read a statement commenorating the miners who have passed.  This comes after the minsters' actions on health and safety failed to understand the lessons of Pike River, the reduction of serious injuries and death at work, the harsh realities of workers needing safety standards.  Producer Yesenia spoke to Savage, Director of Organusations at E Tū about the core messages workers have for the ministry of Health, the high number of deaths occuring in a singular day and where the Work and Safety Act of 2015 could be improved ro reflect workers vitality. 

What happens when disaster strikes?In this second-part episode of the GovComms Podcast, crisis communication expert Michael Player shares his experiences managing some of New Zealand's most significant crises, including the Rena oil spill and Pike River mining disaster. Michael gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how he led teams through media storms, community unrest, and logistical challenges in the heart of chaos.Michael reveals the strategies that helped him succeed under pressure—building strong communication teams, adapting plans in real time, and working closely with local communities. His stories showcase the power of collaboration and the human side of crisis management.As crises become more common, how can we be better prepared? Michael discusses the need for frequent training and the importance of involving communities in recovery efforts. Whether you're in government communication or just curious, this episode offers key insights into managing chaos and building trust when it matters most.Discussed in this episode:· Managing communication during disasters· Assembling strong, adaptable crisis teams.· Community involvement in disaster recovery efforts.· Frequent tabletop exercises for crisis prep.· Balancing media demands and operational focus.· Collaborating across government and local agencies. Show notes:- Tragedy at Pike River Mine – Rebecca Macfie- The Rena grounding | NZ GOV- Pike River | NZ GOV Royal Commission- Exercise and Preparedness Tools | FEMA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode we discuss One of the Four J's, Teeth whitening, Real estate Timmy, Painting, Scaffolding dogs, 3 Body Problem, Harry potter, Weather manipulation, Stevie Wonder, Laos, Pike River flashbacks, Tats, League, Diddy, Sunk boats, Cindy Damehood The royals, Some bread n circus and much more. Enjoy. Support The Joel and Tim Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=74670148 Support us with caffeinated beverages at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thejoelandv

Are we doing enough? Is the fundamental question of H&S governance. And the answer, it seems at least in New Zealand, is largely not one given with confidence. And beyond NZ, the answer sometimes seems vague, unclear, or uncertain. Governance arguably is the lynchpin around which all health and safety performance relies - so there is something in this conversation for everyone. Hey, it's Andrew, and this is Safety on Tap.  Since you're listening in, you must be a leader wanting to grow yourself and drastically improve health and safety along the way.  Welcome to you, you're in the right place.  If this is your first time listening in, thanks for joining us and well done for trying something different to improve! And of course welcome back to all of you wonderful regular listeners. New Zealand has had its fair share of problems with health and safety. Catalysed by the Pike River disaster, new legislation introduced in 2015 styled off the Australian harmonised model promised to strengthen many aspects of health and safety including better control of risk, clearer duties for officers of the organisation, and greater clarity to support regulatory activities. The sad news is not much is changing, with health and safety performance lagging well behind similar regimes in countries like Australia and the UK. Existing guidance was created around 2015 for the new duties imposed upon senior managers and directors of organisations, called 'The Blue Book'. It's clear that whilst well. Intended, this simply has not been enough, with the backdrop of tumultuous government policy for health an safety, constrained  funding, and claims of bare incompetence at Worksafe NZ. The new Good Practice Guide for Health and Safety Governance was led by the NZ Institute of Directors, in close collaboration with Worksafe NZ, the Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum, and the General Manager Safety Forum. The Steering Group was led by Chris Jones on behalf of the GM Safety Forum, and the Lead Author and Expert Advisor is Craig Marriott, both of whom join me in today's conversation. Chris Jones is an experienced strategic health and safety leader, having had Head of Safety roles in both the UK and NZ, in rail, poisons and corrections, and now at global dairy giant Fonterra. He has also worked in health and safety lead roles within the NZ government, and a swathe of industry, regulatory, and expert advisory groups and government consultative committees. Chris is fast becoming one of the most popular health and speakers in this part of the world. Craig Marriott is currently consulting under his own brand, having most recently been the General Manager HSEQ at FirstGas, as well as the Chairperson of the Safety Innovation Community in NZ. With a background in high hazard industries, things that really go boom, and the regulation and creation of safety cases in both the UK and NZ, Craig's experience spans both senior health and safety positions, and a diversity of consulting leadership roles. Craig is both a keynote speaker and author of Challenging the Safety Quo. Chris and Craig are arguably two of the most well known and well respected senior health and safety professionals in New Zealand today, and both have spent time working in senior roles at Worksafe NZ. It's no wonder they've been able to bring their knowledge and leadership to this impressive piece of work on health and safety governance along with a committee of clever and hard working colleagues. Let's talk health and safety governance, with Chris Jones and Craig Marriott:

New Zealand's health and safety performance seems to be dire still.  In 2013, an independent taskforce identified three key failures in the country's health and safety system in the wake of the Pike River tragedy.  Eleven years later, Newsroom reveals that despite knowing these faults, not much has changed. Legislation continues to be poorly implemented with insufficient follow through, the primary regulator is still under resourced, and there is still poor coordination across the agencies tasked with injury prevention, they said.  Mike Cosman, Chair of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management, told Kerre Woodham that he was part of that taskforce, and sadly only about half the job was done.  He said that whilst other countries we would normally compare ourselves to —Australia, the UK, Europe— have continued to improve, our performance has staggered along.  It's not getting worse, Cosman said, but it's certainly not getting better at the speed that you would hope.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To the delight of our next guest and those he represents, the 11.5 kilometre Pike 29 memorial track opens on February 17. The dual walking and biking tracks, which connects the Paparoa Track Great Walk to the Pike River, has been created in partnership with DOC, Ngāti Waewae and the families of the 29 miners who perished in the Pike River mine disaster in 2010. Pike River Families Group Committee chair Colin Smith says the opening creates "an enduring memory", and real economic opportunities for the Coast. Smith spoke to Corin Dann.

The families of those who died at Pike River are thanking retiring Labour MP Andrew Little for his work as the minister responsible for re-entering the mine. Little announced his resignation on Tuesday. Members of the Pike River Reference Group Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse spoke to Corin Dann.

New Zealand has a dismal record of deaths and injuries in the workplace, and there are concerns about what could happen if a post-graduate health and safety course at Victoria University is among those dumped to save costs. The University is the only one in the country to offer a specialised post-grad programme in workplace health and safety, but the institution has been reviewing which staff and courses will need to be cut in order to make savings. The Workplace Health and Safety programme has been offered since 2020 - part of a push after the Pike River mining disaster to reduce harm at work. In the first four months of this year there have already been 28 deaths as the result of a workplace accident, and seven thousand injuries that resulted in people being off work for a week or more. And Worksafe estimates there are between 750 to 900 work-related health deaths each year. Susie speaks with Mike O'Brien, independent chair of the Health and Safety Association New Zealand and Joanne Crawford, who's WorkSafe New Zealand Chair in Health and Safety at Victoria University's School of Health - and is one of the programme's lecturers.

Pike River families say pictures of remains in the mine have given them some reassurance that the miners died quickly. Police have confirmed they've found more bodies inside Pike River Mine, as part of their ongoing investigation into the explosion in 2010 which killed 29 men. Anna Sargent reports. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6329947993112

The remains of up to three more Pike River miners have been located during a police operation to gather video evidence via boreholes deep into the mine. 29 men were killed in the explosion in November 2010. Police announced in September last year they were reopening the borehole drilling operation as part of the criminal investigation into the explosion. The latest discovery means up to 12 of the 29 miners have been located. And the boreholes have now been resealed. Detective Superintendent Darryl Sweeney explains where the investigation is at. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6329958417112

Once again, the Pike River families have been utterly vindicated in their battle to get a proper police investigation into what happened inside that mine on the 19th of November, 2010.  Police have today again revealed that they've spotted more bodies using the boreholes they've been drilling. This time it was two or three bodies in a crib room area, which they describe as a breakout communal area where they might have been having a short break when the explosion happened. This is what, the third or fourth time that the police have spotted bodies while digging boreholes that these families had to fight to get done.  And this time the significance is that for some families this settles the very thing that would've tormented so many of them of for nearly thirteen years: did the men survive that first blast? Could they have been saved before the second blast five days later? This is what Rowdy Durbridge said today, he lost his boy Dan in the explosion, and he said: “I can take some heart in the fact that what's been seen confirms they fell where they stood and didn't spend days trapped in there alive like some people have tried to claim.”  Imagine the peace of mind that will be giving some of those families. I know not everyone agrees that we should be spending money on this investigation, or even cares anymore about what this investigation finds, but that is why I admire these families so much.  Because they will know that they probably don't have popular opinion with them anymore, but they fought the authorities anyway. And man did they have to fight to get to this point. A half-arsed initial investigation, WorkSafe withdrawing the charges against Peter Whittall, attempts to concrete over the mine's entrance… I would given up by now I reckon. I hope I never have to fight for something this hard. But they were right to, because they now know so much more than they did even two years ago. They've found 12 of their men, they know where they were when the explosion happened, and they know they didn't survive that first blast.  This will give at least some of them the one thing any grieving family deserves, which is answers and the peace of mind that comes from them. And if police do decide later this year to pursue a prosecution, it might give those families the other thing they may also deserve. Justice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pike River Mine advocate and father Bernie Monk says the news that human remains have likely been found at Pike River is upsetting, but it strengthens his resolve for justice. It's been more than 12 years since Bernie's son Ben was among 29 men who died in the West Coast mine. Police say they've got pictures from a new borehole which show possible human remains, and have contacted three families of those believed to be working in the area at the time of the explosion. Rowan Quinn reports.

In September 2008 New Zealanders were shocked by the killing of a man who stepped in to help a woman in danger in central Auckland. Austin Hemmings, 44, was fatally stabbed when he intervened in a confrontation as he left work.  The good Samaritan was simply trying to help a woman who was in clear distress and who had called out for help after a man confronted her and threatened her.  Pauesi Leofa Brown stabbed Hemmings in the chest and the father-of-three died soon after. Brown was later sentenced to life in prison for Hemmings' murder.  Today in Herald podcast A Moment In Crime host and journalist Anna Leask looks back at the case and how it impacted both Hemmings' family and the woman he saved - paying the ultimate price with his own life.  A Moment In Crime is written and hosted by senior journalist Anna Leask - who has been covering crime and justice for NZME since 2005. Leask has also reported on most of the major incidents and events in New Zealand during that period including the Christchurch quakes, Pike River mine disaster, March 15 terror attack and the White Island eruption. "Each month I'll take you inside some of our most infamous incidents, notorious offenders and behind the scenes of high-profile trials and events to show you what's really happening in your backyard," she said. "Heroes and villains battle for justice to be done, and it seems no matter how horrifying the story, we always want to know more." A Moment In Crime is produced by Leask, iHeart radio podcast producer Adam Pomana, and NZ Herald podcast production manager Ethan Sills. Episodes of a Moment In Crime are usually released monthly. If there is a case you would like to hear about on A Moment In Crime, email anna.leask@nzme.co.nz READ MORE ON THE AUSTIN HEMMINGS CASE Hemmings family 'torn to shreds' Hemmings' murderer jailed for at least 16 years Hemmings' murderer had killed before  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 years on from the Pike River mine disaster, the Health & Safety body for the sector says there's still too much tolerance for workplace injury. MinEx is funded by the sector, and tasked with keeping mines, quarries and tunnel projects free from fatalities, injuries and diseases. Chief Executive Wayne Scott says if someone dies in the workplace in New Zealand, too many think 'shit happens' - and move on. He compares this with Australia, where he says workplace deaths are treated very seriously. He speaks with Kathryn, along with Jodi Goodall - a leading Australian figure in health and safety - she was a key contributor to a seminal report in Queensland two years ago which was critical of the state's record of mine and quarrying injuries and deaths.

'The best news we've had in 10 years' - families of the Pike River miners surprised but happy to hear police will restart bore drilling at the mine. Police ended their bore drilling operation in March, it revealed the human remains of eight miners. Over the last four months, police have been reviewing that evidence and are going back to drill ten new boreholes to help work out if criminal charges can be laid. The families have waited nearly 12 long years for information on what happened and police acknowledge this may prolong that wait but say it is a commitment to getting them the answers they want. Samantha Gee reports. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6313044763112

Survivors of our biggest national disasters say new guidelines will better supporting families in the wake of future tragedies. The new "Public Service Commission Model Standards" - to be released at parliament today - addresses what survivors say have been consistent shortcomings in the treatment by government agencies of those most closely affected by disaster. The standards were co-authored by the Pike River Families Group after consulting with families of survivors caught up with events such as the earthquake and mosque shootings in Christchurch, the Aramoana massacre, the Cave Creek platform collapse and the Whakaari White Island eruption. Sonya Rockhouse, who lost her son Ben in the Pike River mine explosion 12 years ago, spoke to Corin Dann.

We’ve been profiling some of the Queen’s Birthday Honours recipients… there’s dozens of them, each with their own powerful story. Today we are getting to know a woman whose Honour will be bittersweet. We're talking to Sonya Rockhouse - who faces the painful reminder of what she lost in Pike River - her 21-year-old son, Ben - every time she speaks out for justice. But she’s continued to be a driving force in campaigning for better workplace health and safety since the 2010 explosion. Sonya, alongside Anna Osborne - who lost her husband in the blast - have been named Officers of the Order of Merit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The remains of eight Pike River miners have now been found as a borehole drilling investigation into the 2010 explosion comes to an end. The criminal investigation into the mining disaster which claimed the lives of 29 men continues, with many families hopeful enough evidence has been gathered to lay charges. Samantha Gee has the details.

The lawyer for the Pike River families is hopeful the police have been able to gather enough evidence to proceed with a prosecution. The police this week notified the families of the 29 mine victims that images taken down a re-drilled borehole had shown further evidence of human remains. The police said they had captured high quality images during their drilling operation, which has now ended, and that would feed into their ongoing criminal investigation. The families' lawyer is Nigel Hampton QC, he spoke to Corin Dann.

The families of the 29 men who died in the Pike River mine disaster are hopeful the police investigation is getting closer to finding out who is responsible for the deaths. The police this week informed families that images taken down a re-drilled borehole showed the remains of two more bodies -- in total, the remains of eight people have been found over the past two years. The police said the high quality images they had collected would go towards their ongoing criminal investigation. Sonya Rockhouse, whose son Ben remains in the mine, spoke to Philippa Tolley.

Pike River families shed fresh tears for their husbands and sons after the police told them the remains of up to three more men had been found in the far western end of the mine, by a camera sent down a recently drilled borehole. The latest discovery followed footage taken just a month ago of the remains of two men and possibly a third, in another part of the mine. Five men were thought to be in this part of the mine at the time of the explosion. Sonya Rockhouse's son, Ben, was in that part of the mine where the remains have been identified. She spoke to Morning Report's Susie Ferguson.

Pike River families shed fresh tears for their husbands and sons after the police told them the remains of up to three more men had been found in the far western end of the mine, by a camera sent down a recently drilled borehole. The latest discovery followed footage taken just a month ago of the remains of two men and possibly a third, in another part of the mine. Five men were thought to be in this part of the mine at the time of the explosion. Sonya Rockhouse's son, Ben, was in that part of the mine where the remains have been identified. She spoke to Morning Report's Susie Ferguson.

Today on Politics Friday, John MacDonald was joined by Labour's Tracey McClellan and National's Gerry Brownlee.Topics for discussion included the recent cancellations of events in Canterbury, and if Government's new Traffic Light System provided enough clarity for organisers. They reflected on the Pike River tragedy 11 years, and discussed whether investigations should continue if they were to result in charges being laid. The Groundswell protests will go ahead in parts of New Zealand on Sunday. McClellan and Brownlee reacted to the protests, and the comments made by Stuart Nash in Parliament yesterday.LISTEN ABOVE

Friday Faceoff with restaurateur Roger Young and Council for International Development Director Josie Pagani: What should happen as tension rises at Shelly Bay? An emotional week for the Pike River families, and facing our drinking culture. 

In this week's episode, Katie and Rosie talk with journalists Jason Walls, Jessica Mutch McKay and Lois Turei about the increase in abuse and vitriol directed towards the media as vaccine mandates and Covid restrictions drag on. They also touch on impending freedom for Aucklanders, new struggles for first-home buyers, and new developments at Pike River. And finally, the two discuss the latest story of last minute rebellions from Year 13 students. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People on the West Coast are coming to terms with the discovery of human remains deep in the Pike River Mine, almost eleven years after the deadly explosion. Tomorrow's the anniversary of the deadly explosion in which 29 miners lost their lives. Many of their families have been campaigning for the last decade to see justice done. Samantha Gee and Nathan Mackinnon spent the day on the West Coast.  

Footage showing up to three bodies inside the Pike River mine is being described as cold comfort by some of the families. Relatives of the 29 men have been waiting for more than a decade for such news but it comes with the knowledge that none of the remains will ever be recovered, now that the mine is sealed. Conan Young reports.

More than a decade after 29 men died in the Pike River disaster, police have announced a discovery of the remains of at least two men. Lawyer Nigel Hampton QC has worked alongside Pike River families for many years and joins Karyn.

December 15th marks freedom day for Aucklanders - droves of are expected to leave the city, police will be doing random spot checks to making those leaving a double-vaxed or have an up to date covid test - we'll speak to the Police Commissioner, Andrew Coster, the wife of a Pike River mine victim hopes the finding of remains will lead to justice for the families, and are Auckland's senior students going to show up to their exams next week.

A woman whose husband was killed in the Pike River mine explosion hopes footage showing the remains of up to three men will bring them another step closer to justice. Anna Osborne was among the family members who met with the police last night, something that had been arranged before yesterday's announcement. She says the families weren't shown the images, but they have been assured they are of extremely high quality. Osborne told Morning Report the boreholes being drilled into the mine are a crucial part of the police investigation. "Hopefully, it's going to put together the pieces that are missing so that we could hopefully, in the future, have a prosecution." Friday is the 11th anniversary of the disaster.

Some Pike River families hope today's news is enough to launch a successful prosecution. Police have found human remains in of two, possibly three, people in the mine. But, given how deep in the mine they were found, it could be impossible to recover them. Lawyer Nigel Hampton QC told Heather Du Plessis Allan there have been a series of positive steps over the past few years and this is one of them. “From the point of view from the people for whom I act, it is seen as a positive step along the way towards what they hope will be Police decision to launch a prosecution.” LISTEN ABOVE 

Blair Tuke and Peter Burling haven't yet signed with Team NZ for the next America's Cup and already, people are wondering if there's been a falling out.   Auckland border opens mid-December and the whole country will move to the traffic light system.  Human remains have been found at Pike River Mine. Is this proof the families were right to keep going all this time? Were people wrong to roll their eyes at them? David Fisher has written an opinion piece predicting New Zealand will be hit by another terror attack by the end of next year.  Listen above as Jack Tame and David Farrar discuss the day's news with Heather du Plessis-Allan on The Huddle. 

December 15th marks freedom day for Aucklanders - droves of are expected to leave the city, police will be doing random spot checks to making those leaving a double-vaxed or have an up to date covid test - we'll speak to the Police Commissioner, Andrew Coster, the wife of a Pike River mine victim hopes the finding of remains will lead to justice for the families, and are Auckland's senior students going to show up to their exams next week.

Footage showing up to three bodies inside the Pike River mine is being described as cold comfort by some of the families. Relatives of the 29 men have been waiting for more than a decade for such news but it comes with the knowledge that none of the remains will ever be recovered, now that the mine is sealed. Conan Young reports.

A woman whose husband was killed in the Pike River mine explosion hopes footage showing the remains of up to three men will bring them another step closer to justice. Anna Osborne was among the family members who met with the police last night, something that had been arranged before yesterday's announcement. She says the families weren't shown the images, but they have been assured they are of extremely high quality. Osborne told Morning Report the boreholes being drilled into the mine are a crucial part of the police investigation. "Hopefully, it's going to put together the pieces that are missing so that we could hopefully, in the future, have a prosecution." Friday is the 11th anniversary of the disaster.

Welcome to When It Goes Wrong, the podcast about disasters, accidents and when things fall apart. On this episode I discuss two mining disasters. The first the catastrophic explosion of Pike River mine in New Zealand which killed 29 men. Then following up with something a bit more cheerful, the rescue of 33 Chilean miners who were stuck underground for months following a mine cave-in. Please subscribe and review for more! You can follow the podcast on instagram at @whenitgoeswrongpod , on twitter at @itgoeswrongpod or email with your feedback and ideas to whenitgoeswrongpod@gmail.com.Sources:Tragedy at Pike River Mine: How and Why 29 Men Died - Rebecca Macfiehttps://pikeriver.royalcommission.govt.nz/Volume-Two---Contentshttps://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-uncompromising-chemistry-of-tragedy/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_River_Mine_disasterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_River_Minehttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/30/pike-river-families-accept-end-of-mission-to-find-mine-disaster-victimshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-54956219https://unece.org/DAM/energy/se/pdfs/cmm/CS/CS_BPG/CS.14_Creedy.pdfhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108584873/pike-river-the-29-miners-who-diedBuried Alive documentary - Chilean Minershttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/15/chilean-miners-los-33-returnhttps://www.npr.org/2014/10/29/359839104/the-incredible-story-of-chilean-miners-rescued-from-the-deep-down-dark?t=1635968815636https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Copiap%C3%B3_mining_accident

Nan Calvert's most recent monthly visit to the Morning Show features Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser talking about the Pike River Restoration Project. Also on hand is Dave Giordano, executive director of RootPikeWIN.

In the face of a tragedy, what can we do to shape the mining industry to be better? The reminders we have about the importance of safety on site come at a cost that's way too high. No matter who you are, speaking up when something doesn't feel right, is crucial.  This week we have a special interview for […] The post EP.111 Dinghy Pattinson on Pike River and Uncovering Answers in the Wake of Tragedy appeared first on Face Mining Services.

In the face of a tragedy, what can we do to shape the mining industry to be better? The reminders we have about the importance of safety on site come at a cost that's way too high. No matter who you are, speaking up when something doesn't feel right, is crucial.

Bullying report also points finger at reporters; Pike River families keep media at arm's length; a sudden surge of interest in Christian politicians.

The re-entry of the Pike River mine this week was an historic event but there were no media there to record it; the families of the 29 men who died in the disaster did not want them there. Mediawatch takes a look at some recent research that might explain why.

Mediawatch looks back on a century and a half of investigative journalism with veteran journalists Jim Tucker and Rebecca Macfie and James Hollings the editor of the soon to be released A Moral Truth: 150 years of investigative journalism in New Zealand.