Three members of the Pike River Families' Group have been made members of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
The group brought about significant changes to health and safety law, although its main spokesman had to think twice before accepting the honour.
Related by marriage and united in their fight for the Pike River families, Paroa publican Bernie Monk has been the public face, with Greymouth lawyer Colin Smith just as busy in the background.
But Mr Monk had to think twice before accepting the award, still concerned that the bodies of the 29 men remain in the mine.
Mr Monk, whose son Michael died in the mine, has represented the families from soon after the explosion.
"And when I heard that Colin [Smith] and Carol [Rose] had got the same, which they thoroughly deserve, I didn't feel so bad," he says.
Carol Rose, the long-term secretary of the group, lost a son and took on the job knowing no other family members.
She's immensely proud of what the families have achieved with the changes in health and safety rules and the establishment of Worksafe.
Mr Smith agrees.
"The biggest positive that has come out of this whole tragedy is the change to the health and safety systems in New Zealand," he says.
However, Mr Monk feels as though it's been a failure because the bodies of the 29 weren't recovered.
"WorkSafe said that this job could be done, Mines Rescue said this job could be done and Solid Energy walked away from us because there was no financial gain and that's the one thing that'll hurt me till the day I die," he says.
The trio and families still have plenty of work left, with the establishment of the Pike 29 legacy track and memorial and an information centre at the mine to come.
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