Duncan Garner has praised Pike River Minister Andrew Little for sticking to his promise of re-entering the mine.
In a speech on Wednesday morning, Mr Little announced plans to re-enter the mine, providing closure to families who have now waited eight years for further information about the disaster.
"Well done to Andrew Little, and to the Government for giving it a bit of thought," Garner said on The AM Show.
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Mr Little was appointed the Minister of Pike River mine re-entry by the Labour-led Government, which was unsatisfied with previous efforts to re-enter the mine.
Garner said John Key's Government tried to "lock the secrets of Pike River behind a 30 metre permanent seal".
Mr Little said at the beginning of the year that he was confident re-entry plans would start before the end of 2018, the announcement today confirming this with preparatory work to take place over the next several weeks.
The entry date will be confirmed later this month.
Garner commended Mr Little this morning, saying "Andrew Little, in my mind, has kept this word... There is no greater display of integrity than a politician who keeps his word."
"This is, in my view, already Andrew Little's legacy. He kept his word - he kept a promise when others walked away. But most of all, he treated those families with kindness and with dignity," said Garner.
Newshub.
