Pike River families softly wept as re-entry was announced by Government, John Campbell reports

Family members of the men lost in the Pike River Mine softly wept as Andrew Little announced the plan to re-enter the mine today.

Bernie Monk and Sonya Rockhouse, who each lost a son, and Anna Osborne who lost her husband, had waited eight years to hear those words.

"It's been a very long and hard fight, and one that we should never have had to have," Ms Rockhouse, a Pike River family spokeswoman said.

“This is a victory for the families. This is a victory for the little people in New Zealand who feel like sometimes it's too hard to carry on, and win a battle, because there's so many road blocks that have been put in the way.

"You need to be that squeaky wheel, you need to be that voice, and if you believe in something hard enough, for long enough, you'll get people to listen," Anna Osborne, also a Pike River family spokeswoman, said.

"It's a huge, huge day for the Pike River families, and we've won this battle."

Mr Little, the minister responsible for Pike River re-entry, says he is very confident re-entry can be done safely.

In part, the reason for that confidence is two men, mines expert, Dinghy Pattinson, the recovery's chief operating officer and Recovery CEO, Major General Dave Gawn, a former Chief of Army.

Mr Little says Mr Pattinson is a "top bloke" with more than 40 years’ experience

"These guys know what it means to keep people safe," Mr Little said.

"I'm very confident that this is the most feasible and the safest plan going forward," Mr Gawn said.

Mr Pattinson will go in with the recovery team if it's appropriate, but he's already been in the Drift and the last time he was there, he left a note on the seal, to the men.

"The note said we'd be back. And today's the first stage of that. And, you know, it's just a pleasure to be involved in it," Mr Pattinson said.

When they do go in, through the portal and up the drift, Ms Rockhouse is hopeful they’ll find some evidence.

"That I hope they find is some evidence and possibly, I want to say body parts, but, you know something," she said.

There have never been criminal prosecutions, but manslaughter charges do, theoretically, remain possible.

Former Pike River boss Peter Whittall now runs a rest home in Wollongong, Australia and was not available to give comment. 

Re-entry into the drift is due to begin February 2019.