Ten years after the accident, survivor Stacy Mitchell said that he and some other students were shaking the platform hard when it collapsed, which he had not reported at the time through fear of being blamed. Evidence at the inquiry indicated that the platform should have been designed and built to tolerate use that could reasonably be expected. Repercussions Soon after the accident, the Department of Conservation inspected more than 520 structures, and 65 were closed for repairs. The review led to the removal of a large number of structures on public land, and many safety notices appeared on the remainder around New Zealand. Indeed, some felt the response was excessive, for example in cases where bridges and platforms were labelled with signs such as "1 person maximum". Although DOC took responsibility for the accident, there were no prosecutions as New Zealand law at the time did not permit the Crown to prosecute itself. $2.6 million was still paid to the victims' families, however. Since the accident, New Zealand law has been adjusted to ensure that the Building Act covers government departments, and to allow government departments to be held liable for such negligence in future. Prime Minister Jim Bolger initially attacked the report produced by the Commission of Inquiry, arguing that the platform failed "essentially because it lacked about $20 worth of bolts to hold it together". The Minister of Conservation, Denis Marshall, was criticised in the media for his management of the department. Many people blamed Marshall, although there was also wide criticism of the whole government's policies on management of the conservation estate. Marshall eventually resigned in May 1996, just over a year after the accident occurred. A new Minister, Nick Smith, was appointed, and a full review of the department was conducted by the State Services Commission. A memorial plaque was unveiled in April 1996. In 1998 the track re-opened to the public, new stairs replaced the old ones, but the viewing platform was not rebuilt. The platform space has a fence around it and warning signs. In 1996 New Zealand composer John Dylan wrote an orchestral piece, "Cave Creek 95 - An Elegy" in recognition of the event. The section of track to Cave Creek from the intersection with the Inland Pack Track was renamed the Cave Creek Memorial Track/Kotihotiho in 2020, as part of the 25 year remembrance of the disaster. There is a