Environment Minister Nick Smith has again disputed claims entry into the Pike River Mine drift can be done safely, the day before the sixth anniversary of the disaster.
Dr Smith held a public meeting in Greymouth on Wednesday, which he described to Paul Henry on Friday as "difficult".
At the meeting he announced the mine will be sealed permanently, with the work needing to be completed by the end of the month.
The decision has extinguished any hope of getting into the mine's drift to gather any evidence which may point to a cause of the explosions. It's left families devastated, with some still steadfast there's "plenty of evidence" it can be done safely.
Dr Smith paid tribute to the Pike families and their spokesperson Bernie Monk, saying there were "strong advocates for their loved ones".
But he too was stoic in his view that allowing experts one last look in the drift was too risky.
"There is 100,000 cubic metres of methane in this mine, the levels are basically 98 percent. The expert advice is uncontested that there are heat sources in that mine capable of triggering an explosion if any oxygen were to get into the mine," Dr Smith said.
Damage to the mine from the 2010 explosions also made the risk of rock fall "significant".
Dr Smith said he shared the methane data with families at the meeting.
He also refuted any claims there had been a cover-up or other conspiracies regarding what happened.
"I reject that on the basis that man, we have tried hard, very constructively to find a way into that drift, and secondly the level of scrutiny that royal commission put into the events at Pike was totally thorough, totally contested, and the public can rely on that thorough report as to why Pike occurred."
Following the meeting, Mr Monk said he was "heartbroken" by the news.
"He also told us when [the Department of Conservation] actually take the mine over, the likelihood of ever having re-entry down the drift, it'll never, ever happen."
Newshub.
