Winston Peters says it was his party that demanded an inquiry into the disaster. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has described the Pike River mine as "a murder scene" on the fifteenth anniversary of the disaster.
He's also hinted at his dissatisfaction with relevant workplace safety settings, despite the Workplace Safety Minister backing the coalition's approach.
Affected families sat down with Brooke van Velden at Parliament on Wednesday afternoon to warn that her programme of work risks another Pike River disaster.
"We want to be able to get across to her how we're feeling and our feelings on what she's doing," Sonya Rockhouse, who lost her 21-year-old son Ben, told Midday Report.
"Anna and I fought long and hard, and others of course, to get health and safety laws strengthened and it's been documented that if they weaken the laws and they go back to how they were there will be another Pike River and I wouldn't wish that on any family. It just seems ludicrous, they should be tightening up the laws."
Brooke van Velden has met with affected families at Parliament. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
Van Velden has been progressing workplace safety reforms this term, guaranteed in the ACT Party's coalition deal with National, with a mind to shift WorkSafe's focus from a predominantly enforcement-driven agency to one that prioritises advice, guidance, and support for businesses and workers.
A suite of briefings released to RNZ by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) show Worksafe warned - and MBIE acknowledged - this approach had flaws and risked repeating the deadly failures of the Pike River mine disaster.
'We think this is a murder scene' - Winston Peters
Peters also met with Rockhouse and others at Parliament on Wednesday.
"[It went] very, very well. We laid out a plan of action and work for us to do privately, myself and my team," he said.
"We were the ones that demanded an inquiry, the only party that did at the time. We think we were dramatically let down by the way the inquiry was run and we don't give up on this. We think this is a murder scene."
Peters said he wanted to see progress on what he called "the most unsatisfactory circumstance".
He did not give a definitive answer when asked if he supported the families' calls for a corporate manslaughter charge.
"Well, the reality is that the actions have been taken already. The police have come up with an opinion, and they've been sitting on it for a whole year now."
Asked if he was happy with the current workplace safety settings, he said no.
"Not on this matter, most definitely not. And I intend to make that known."
Van Velden's meeting with Pike River families was due to conclude at around 5pm.
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