Police hope to cap the vent shaft at Pike River mine tomorrow after weather conditions at the site prevented the operation from going ahead today.

The majority of miners remaining at Pike River Coal mine look set to lose their jobs, as officials today told workers they were going to proceed with redundancies three weeks after a series of explosions killed 29 workers inside the mine.

The fire which has been raging for days at the Pike River Coal mine is definitely out, say Australians brought in to operate the GAG jet unit which has been pumping carbon dioxide into the mine.

There are fresh hopes firefighters will soon be able to cap a key ventilation shaft at the Pike River mine, after the disappearance of flames from the vent.

Pike River has rejected claims management was not approachable for staff with safety concerns before the November 19 blast.

An operation has begun to extinguish the fire coming from the vent shaft of the Pike River mine and cool the surrounding concrete pad, using water pumped up from a nearby creek.

"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.

An Australian-based online mining journal today called for NZ police to be blocked from controlling mine rescues.

Photos of the third and fourth explosions at the Pike River mine.

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.