What is the future for the 29 Pike River men and their families?

So there’s a recovery plan.

There wasn’t one until 6pm last night.

There’s never been one and that’s because it’s going to be hideously expensive.

The receivers don’t have any money and we all know that the government doesn’t either.

So what’s going to happen in the future?

On Monday they’ll start working their way down to the rockfall.

This, apparently, is going to take 3 months. If all goes well.

So now it’s the end of August.

Then there’s going to be a feasibility study on how to dig a 180 metre tunnel into the heart of the mine.

This is also going to take, say, 3 months.

So now it’s the end of November before the real arguments start about who’s going to pay for the push into the depths.

It’s now after the election. The next Government will probably have bigger fish to fry.

And by then the bodies will have been underground for 12 months and maybe the parent's resolve to retrieve will have weakened.

Now I’m not saying that this is what has been planned.  I’m just sayin’.

But.

Do you ever get the feeling you’ve been put on hold?