The former chief executive officer of Pike River Coal has set up a mine safety consulting business. Peter Whittall was the boss of the West Coast mine when a series of explosions killed 29 men in November 2010.

While Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn seeks to secure funds for the retrieval of the bodies of the 29 men killed in the Pike River mine disaster, receivers say it will be two to four years before the bodies could be recovered.

After months of evidence at the Pike River inquiry, the hearing has concentrated on four areas of concern behind the scenes at the doomed mine.

The former CEO of Pike River Coal has been criticised for refusing to appear at the Greymouth District Council hearings into the deaths of 29 miners in November last year. Gordon Ward was the chief executive until seven weeks before the final blast..