UPDATED 4.03PM Families of the 29 men killed in the Pike River mining tragedy are standing their ground as they protest against a bid to seal off the mine permanently.
Spokesman for the families, Bernie Monk, said this morning they had blocked off the access road to the mine in response to Solid Energy's own attempts to keep families out.
"Overnight, we've erected a gate and we'll be manning that and we're going to treat Solid Energy the way that they've treated us over the last coming up six years,'' Monk told Rachel Smalley this morning.
"They've padlocked it - even in the last month, we've been up there 30 days now demonstrating.
"They've got it padlocked, the first gate, and wouldn't let us through. And we're going to do the same to them."
Police have visited the site this morning and said they currently had no concerns.
"However, should any issue arise, police will deal with it as appropriate at the time,'' a police spokeswoman said.
The owner of the property was on board with the group's demonstration and had given them his full support.
"We've been given this piece of ground now until this is sorted out. So [Solid Energy will] be trespassing on our property if they go across the line.''
Monk said he and other representatives of the families would be going to Wellington tomorrow, in a bid to get their message across to Government.
"I'll be flying up tonight along with four other members of the families. We're going to be standing on the steps of Parliament.
"We're wanting an audience with the Prime Minister, if we can get one. We're going to present a plan to the Prime Minister that our experts have put in place over this short time and I just admire them so much - they've gone out of their way to do this.
"I also would like to take the opportunity of asking people if they can be on the steps of Parliament at 12 o'clock tomorrow.''
The West Coast farmer who gave the Pike River families control over the mine access road said he couldn't let the opportunity to help slip by.
The farmer said the Governments needs to listen to families' mine experts too, not just Solid Energy.
He said the families have had a terrible time, but the timing of the road block might be just right with the current changes in the Beehive.
The disaster
An explosion at the mine in November 2011 claimed the lives of 29 men who were inside. Their bodies are yet to be recovered.
The Government, along with representatives from Solid Energy, concluded it was safe to go back inside the mine in 2013, but 18 months later Solid Energy did a U-turn, stating re-entry would claim more lives.
But many of the victims' families disagreed, citing independent experts who said it was still safe to re-enter. They have been protesting against Solid Energy's decision to seal the mine's entrance.
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