They said the fan recovery would cost $8 million and take 12 weeks using standard mining techniques to get past a roof fall blocking the top of the tunnel. However, the Government has said while the Pike River Recovery Agency would review the plan, there was no blank chequebook.
Joanne Carroll/Stuff
Dame Fiona Kidman and her husband Ian at the Pike River protest in 2016. The Pike River Recovery Agency is planning to seal the mine early next month to allow the site to be handed over to the Department of Conservation for inclusion in the Paparoa National Park. Some of the families have issued a statement saying they accept the Government’s position.