Today marks a decade since the explosions at the Pike River mine on the West Coast took the lives of 29 men.
Relatives gathered this afternoon at the mine's portal to commemorate the anniversary, with a minute's silence at 3.44pm - the moment the first explosion occurred - and a roll call of the men killed in the disaster.
In Wellington, the Pike River 10 Year Anniversary Commemorative Service was held at Parliament.
Watch the service here:
Today, 114 families and friends made the trip back up to the portal of the mine, deep inside the Paparoa Ranges.
The ongoing recovery effort was paused and at 3.44pm, the time of the first explosion, there was a minute of silence followed by a roll call, where the names of the men were yelled down into the mine. The same was done by victims' family members at the Parliament service.
Families gathered at the memorial to the disaster at Atarau earlier today, including Steve Rose who lost his step son, Stu Mudge.
"He was a hell raiser, and he took a lot of raising. He was walking his own path and to get him from 15 to 31 was quite a trip. He was handsome and he had a life."
Rose said his biggest regret was not seeing his step son realise his potential.
Pike River Re-entry Minister Andrew Little, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson and Grey District Council Mayor Tania Gibson were among those attending.
Speeches were also given by representatives from the Stand With Pike Family Reference Group.
A Royal Commission into the mine disaster identified a total disregard by management for the men's welfare and led to sweeping changes of workplace safety rules, but still none of those in charge have been held accountable.
A recovery mission is under way, with a team slowly making its way down the 2.3km entry tunnel in the search of evidence that might lead to a prosecution, and, although the chances are slim, the remains of the men inside.
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