John Key today delivered a personal message to the mothers whose children have been left fatherless as a result of the Pike River mine tragedy. His was one of several moving tributes at today's Remembrance Service.

"Our lives changed forever" when the Pike River Mine exploded, the mining company chief executive told mourners today.

West Coast poet Helen Wilson has offered an emotional tribute to the men who lost their lives in the Pike River mine.

Several thousand people have filled Greymouth’s Omoto Racecourse and numerous MPs and city mayors have taken their seats on the main stage for the Pike River Official Remembrance service

A GAG unit at the Pike River mine appears to be working with early indications a fire is dissipating.

Raphael Alualu was just beginning to make something of his life when it was tragically cut short.

A local politician says a popular diving spot on Auckland's North Shore should not be closed down despite the death of a teenage diver.

A jet engine brought in to make the Pike River mine safe is now in place. Rescue services are hopeful it will be in use tonight so the process to recover the remains of the 29 trapped miners can begin.

Police have named a 17-year-old boy who went missing after diving into a North Shore lake yesterday.

Divers are looking for a 16-year-old who disappeared after jumping into the water from a cliff.

An Australian expert was arriving in Greymouth tonight to provide advice on the jet engine GAG operation at the ill-fated Pike River Coal mine, where it's "highly likely" part of a coal seam has caught fire.

Police divers will this evening start their search for a 16-year-old boy who failed to resurface after diving into Lake Pupuke in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore this afternoon during an organised youth group activity.

The chief executive of Pike River mine says the families of the 29 victims of the disaster are coming to terms with the fact they may not get their loved ones back, as recovery efforts continue to be hindered.

Funds are continuing to pour in for the families of the 29 victims of the Pike River mine tragedy.

Deployment of the "GAG" unit at the Pike River coal mine has been delayed after a fire at the entrance to the mine this morning. Rescuers are trying to extinguish a coal fire so the bodies of 29 trapped men can be recovered.

Nightmares about the 12 Queensland miners he could not save have haunted John Brady for more than 20 years.

Flames were last night shooting from the top of a 108m ventilation shaft at the Pike River coal mine - and only a couple of mountain peaks away a 43-year-old fire from the Strongman mine continues to billow smoke.