Speech
Pike River Memorial Service
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Rau rangatira mā, O te Ao keri waro, Tēnā koutou katoa. Ki te rōpū kaimahi, E moe ana ki Papatuanuku, Moe mai, moe mai, moe mai.
Distinguished leaders, families and friends of the Pike 29, and the special people of the coal mining community, greetings.
The miners, asleep in Mother Earth, sleep.
To the families of the 29 men that were lost in the Pike River Coal Mine, to the friends of those 29 men, and to the communities that the 29 men belonged to, all New Zealanders join with you today to honour their memory.
We are here to reflect on the events that unfolded from shortly after 3.44pm on the 19th of November 2010. We remember the shock of the explosion and what it foreshadowed. We remember the second explosion on the 24th when all hope of any survivors being rescued was dashed. Since that time, extreme anguish, sorrow and pain have been felt throughout our country, and especially here on the West Coast. Today, we also remember that the 29 men still lie in the mine.
Today is about remembering the human cost of this tragic event. The men who went to work left behind wives, partners, children, parents, families, friends and communities who still grieve for them. Their loss has inflicted deep wounds on the communities of the West Coast. The wounds remain raw and will be a long time healing. That healing will be aided by the strength and support of this community which has survived past upheavals and has emerged stronger each time.
The healing will be hardest for those who knew them intimately, those who shared their daily lives. Their sense of loss, however, will be with them forever.
The mine disaster, and the deaths that followed when Canterbury suffered its devastating earthquake three months later, remind us that life is precious, and every life lost is a devastation. Today we remember 29 lives lost.
One year has passed since we lost those 29 men. One year has passed since the families and communities those men belonged to had their lives changed forever. One year on and there remain many questions to be answered. A process is in place to make assessments, to draw conclusions, to learn lessons and to answer questions. It is important we follow through on this to honour the men, to give comfort to the families and to give hope for the future.
A year on from the Pike River mine disaster we remember them, and extend again our heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of the 29 men who were lost.
We remain beside you, in remembrance of your men, and in celebration of the lives they lived. We remain beside you, grieving for their loss and that they were taken away from us far too soon. Their names have been added to our memorials and will not be forgotten.
No reira, ka apiti hono tatai hono te hunga mate ki te hunga mate; kia ora te hunga ora kia kaha. Let the dead rest, and let the living be well and strong.