Little’s big Pike backdown

Today on 10 June 2020 The Herald reports:

The minister in charge of the Pike River Mine recovery effort, Andrew Little, says it is “just impractical” to expect the remains of all of the fallen miners to be recovered.

Instead, the re-entry efforts are now essentially solely focused on gathering evidence in the “homicide of 29 men”, Little told a select committee hearing this morning.

So Little say impractical and further:

He said bringing the remains home was no longer an objective of the re-entry – he said it was “just impractical” given the complex technicalities of the mine’s geography.

But in terms of recovery of human remains, Little said he has always maintained there is a very low probability of recovery.

Little says he has always said there is a very low probability of recovery! So why did he announce this a couple of years ago:

This government – and the three parties that make it up – committed to fulfilling the original promise made to the families of the 29 miners and workers: to do everything practicably possible to re-enter the drift to recover any remains

Did Little then say it was a very low probability? No of course not.