Pike River: The Darkest Hour

“To all those who have lost a loved one in the Pike River mine let me say: New Zealand stands shoulder to shoulder with you. Though we can not possibly feel this pain as you do, we have you in our hearts and our thoughts.”

– Prime Minister, Hon John Key’s address following the second explosion, November 24th 2010

I think it’s safe to say, time truly has stood still over the past few weeks as this tragedy unravelled in front of us. I’ve been through Greymouth and one of the things I still remember about it was that it was such a small community. I can only imagine the pain they are feeling right now, and as Mayor Kokshoorn said, it is indeed the town’s darkest hour.

I have and continue to pay close attention to the crisis communications of the Police and the CEO Peter Whittall as they have grappled to find answers to questions they never thought they’d hear. They have a long and difficult road ahead with the recovery process and the Royal Commission of Inquiry, and the rest of New Zealand waits in anticipation.

During the many press conferences held over those first few trying days, many hard questions were asked – and as the days continued, they became even harder. Superintendant, Gary Knowles was asked to compare the World Trade Centre’s terrorist attacks to the mining disaster, right before a journalist posed the question as to why he was organising everything when he was just a ‘local country cop’.

Not all journalists are like this though – hats off to the media for being considerate at the same time as seeking every possible thread of information.

From a crisis communications perspective, Pike River Mine CEO Peter Whittall has been a study in best practice because*:

“1. He was the right person for the job – the top company executive and a competent communicator
2. He stuck to the plan – tell the families first and then the media
3. He engendered trust through his straight, factual answers – all without getting flustered
4. He demonstrated competence and knowledge but also compassion – people believed him
5. His key messages were consistent and frequent – people knew that everything possible was being done” * Source here.

One of the most helpful resources I have been using to keep up to date with the news concerning Pike River is Twitter. I recommend you follow @pikerivernews for future updates and information about the disaster and add a yellow Twibbon to your page here. In addition, The Police have a great timeline turned newsfeed as does Pike River Coal.

To see the tribute U2 gave to all the miners while performing here last week, click here.

Written by Jess Miller.