Pike River families have been gifted legal control of part of the road to the Pike River mine by landowner Colin van der Geest, who says the families have had a rough deal. Photo / Chelsea-Kay Daniels
Pike River families have been gifted legal control of part of the road to the Pike River mine by landowner Colin van der Geest, who says the families have had a rough deal. Photo / Chelsea-Kay Daniels
Pike River families have been gifted legal control of part of the road to the Pike River mine by landowner Colin van der Geest, who says the families have had a rough deal.
The families and supporters - 150-strong this morning - have put up their own padlocked gate. Theyhave also painted 29 crosses on the road, and 29 roses were laid.
The last ditch legal move is designed to stop the concrete trucks sealing the mine.
Solid Energy is not responding to queries and it is unclear what its next step is.
Mr van der Geest said today he made the gift as he felt the families had had a rough deal over the past six years, and had been braving unsatisfactory conditions for the past consecutive 21 days on the Pike River Mine access road.
This morning 150 people gathered at the Pike River Mine access road blockade, the biggest protest yet. Photo / Greymouth Star
"Originally when the mine was going to put the road in they were going around the boundary of my land, but found it a bit rough.
"They cut corners but nothing was officially put in place," Mr van der Geest said.
"When Bernie (Monk) approached me I decided to gift the legal control of the land to them until such time as a satisfactory conclusion is reached - we still own the land."
Spokesman for some of the Pike families Bernie Monk, whose son Michael was killed in the disaster, said people had built a checkpoint overnight after all the legal work was done.
"We got a survey done to make sure the pegs were in the right place and the blockade is in the right place as well," Mr Monk said.
"It's all totally legal. Thanks to the support from all over the Coast we're now able to totally stop them going ahead with concreting up the entrance to the mine.
"Solid Energy and the Government have tried to ignore us and push us aside. Now they have to listen to us."
The families will be in Wellington tomorrow and hope to take their new expert plan for re-entry to Bill English.
Mr English reportedly agreed to the meeting this morning.
The families believe the mine is a crime scene and want to get into the drift to recover any remains of loved ones, and evidence.
"We've got a plan to do it and we're not going to let the opportunity to get answers get buried under hundreds of tons of concrete," Mr Monk said.
"We're happy to let DOC through and anyone who needs to do safety work, but sealing up the mine isn't going to happen."
This morning 150 people gathered at the Pike River Mine access road blockade, the biggest protest yet.
There were no Solid Energy or Geotech vehicles to be seen and just one lone police officer in attendance.
"Solid Energy has dictated to us, chained and padlocked us out these past six years," Mr Monk said.
"Solid Energy will now need to contact us if they need to get to the site, but I stress no trucks will be going through to seal the mine. Tomorrow myself, Anna Osborne, Sonya Rockhouse and Dean Dunbar will be going to Wellington. I haven't heard yet from Mr Bill English but we will be on the steps of Parliament regardless."
The first protest on the road was by Mrs Osborne and Mrs Rockhouse on November 12 and 13. It was abandoned on the 14th after the Kaikoura earthquake, and resumed two days after the sixth anniversary of the disaster, on November 21.
