Two women whose husbands died in the Pike River Coal Mine disaster of 2010 are opposing the government's planned workplace safety law changes. Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse say the reforms don't go far enough and fail to address corporate manslaughter — making companies criminally responsible when their failures cause worker deaths, RNZ reported on 17 June 2026.

The explosion killed 29 men. Since then, the two women have consistently pushed for stronger laws to hold companies accountable. Their current concern is that the government's new proposal still won't make companies criminally liable for workplace deaths.

What changed after Pike River

After the disaster, the government started making major changes to workplace safety laws. The first big step was the Health and Safety (Pike River Implementation) Bill, which Parliament passed in November 2013. This created WorkSafe New Zealand — an independent agency to oversee workplace safety — and set up new rules for mining operators.

For the first time, mining companies had to put formal health and safety systems in place and appoint people responsible for safety.

The next major change came in the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. This broadened the law beyond just employers, making it apply to anyone running any kind of business or operation. The idea was to give workers stronger legal protection across all workplaces.

Why the families are still concerned

Osborne and Rockhouse's main complaint is about corporate manslaughter — the ability to charge a company (not just individual workers or managers) when someone dies because of company failures. New Zealand law has never allowed this.

Without it, the families argue, there is no real criminal consequence for company decisions that put workers at risk. The law can fine companies and prosecute individuals, but it cannot charge the company itself with something equivalent to manslaughter.

This gap has remained through all the law changes since 2010. The government completed a full inquiry, reviewed the laws twice, and created a new regulator — yet never resolved the question of whether companies should face criminal charges for workplace deaths.

WorkSafe can fine companies substantial amounts under current law, but fines are not the same as criminal prosecution. An individual who causes someone's death can be charged with manslaughter. A company that causes worker deaths — through deliberate neglect or recklessness — currently cannot be charged with the equivalent offence.

The families want to know whether the government's new proposal will finally close that gap, or ignore it again. Their public objection this week ensures the question will be part of the parliamentary record as the bill is debated.

Families who lost loved ones in the mine have every reason to measure each new law against what was promised after 29 deaths. That scrutiny will continue until the government either makes companies criminally accountable or rules it out.