Cash can't replace lost peace

By CATHY ARONSON

Steve Kilgour can rebuild his home with money from the Earthquake Commission, but rebuilding his family's peace of mind may be more difficult.

Mr Kilgour, his partner Barby Manuel and their three children, Zoe, aged 7, Chavez, 10, and Bronson, 11, are lucky to be alive after their home was swallowed by a collapsed mine on Thursday last week.

Thirteen other homes were evacuated, and three could still fall into the 50m wide and 15m deep crater.

Yesterday Mr Kilgour blamed mining company Waihi Gold for the crater and the Hauraki District Council for allowing it to happen.

"My daughter saw the neighbours' car coming towards her and couldn't move. She was buried in her room," he said.

"My son had a wall lying on him. I spend my nights lying awake because I can't trust the ground underneath me.

"No compensation can replace our minds."

Earthquake Commission general manager David Middleton said yesterday that the commission would pay up to $100,000 for the homes, $20,000 for contents and a proportion of the value of the land. He hoped to pay Mr Kilgour before Christmas.

Mr Kilgour had bought his first home from his mother in March this year. Since the accident, the family have been living at a friend's house and their children are with their grandparents. Mr Kilgour said he would not live in Waihi again.

The other 26 evacuated residents are in temporary accommodation, wondering whether to move their homes or demolish them.

Mr Middleton said the commission would investigate if Waihi Gold or the council or regional council, Environment Waikato, were liable for the damage.

"Should the council have let the houses be built on the land? Did the mining cause the land to become unstable? Who was monitoring it? That's what we need to answer."

The investigation would be done by the Crown Law Office or an independent lawyer and a panel of experts.

He said if anyone was liable they would have to pay for the compensation or face court action.

Mr Kilgour said the council and the mining company had to be held accountable.

"We were dragged into a hole the mining company created and the council knew about it ... Why should everyone else be left to pick up the pieces?"

The Herald revealed yesterday that Mr Kilgour's home was in an area Waihi Gold had identified as having the most ground movement and slopes caused by taking water from under the town to mine the pit.

Waihi Gold is required to monitor movements every month, report any extreme movements and present yearly reports to Environment Waikato.

But the company breached its consent by not providing reports since 1999. Last year's report was handed into Environment Waikato yesterday and did not show any non-compliance.

Waihi Gold general manager David Ingle would not say if the ground movements had increased before the collapse.

He did not believe the mining had created the collapse.

Hauraki District Council mayor Basil Morrison said he saw no need for an investigation because a technical working party would reveal what was causing the problems.

Council engineers believe the Kilgours' home was above an old Royal Vein tunnel that was left empty and collapsed.