Among the biggest winners of the election will be the Pike River families (Newshub):
The Pike River families say for the first time in seven years, they have hope.
Representatives including Bernie Monk, Sonya Rockhouse and Anna Osborne met with NZ First leader Winston Peters on Thursday morning, where he reaffirmed his promise of a manned re-entry and recovery of the bodies.
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The likelihood of that happening is greater if Mr Peters sides with Labour and the Greens, the families believe, because both parties have already promised re-entry. They met with Labour leader Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday, but in seven years, say they’ve never sat down with anyone from National.“Every time we’ve been up here, they’ve always found a way not to meet us,” said Mr Monk.
Patrick Gower is scathing about National:
“The National Government tried to put concrete down that mine… we will now see the character of Bill English and all the other people in the Beehive who tried to stop [going back into the mine]. They’ve probably, already in their minds, agreed to letting men go back into the Pike River drift.
“They will not go into Opposition over this… They will literally go back on everything they’ve said in order to get Winston into power. They’ll go back into Pike River… It’s hugely embarrassing.”
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