State owned Genesis Energy's share of the Kupe oil and gas field has pushed its half year profits up by 125 per cent.

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 father of one of the Pike River victims has stood up for a mine inspector being 'hammered' at the inquiry into the disaster.

Solid Energy has announced plans for a new underground and open-cast coal mine employing up to 150 people on the South Island's West Coast.