The mother of a girl who helped to rescue a friend of Raphael Alualu, who drowned after leaping into a swimming hole on Auckland's North Shore, say she is very proud of what her daughter did.

It could take weeks for a GAG unit to put out a coal fire in the Pike River mine, police say.

Three people have been hit by buses on a Wellington street since it was made two-way on Sunday.

The strength of the West Coast community will help it overcome its collective grief over the deaths of the 29 men who died in the Pike River mine tragedy, Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand said today at the memorial service in Greymouth.

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.

Hopes of recovering bodies are fast fading for families of the 29 miners lost in the Pike River mine.