A candlelight vigil will be held at an Auckland high school tonight to remember six students and a teacher killed in a flood on a central North Island river one year ago.
The seven, from the Elim Christian College in Auckland, died when they were caught in a flash flood in the Mangatepopo Gorge, near Turangi.
They were on an outdoor adventure course at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre.
The centre was fined and ordered to pay reparations of nearly $500,000 last month after pleading guilty to charges laid under the Health and Safety in Employment Act.
Those killed were teacher Anthony McClean, 29, of Howick, and students Natasha Bray, 16, of Pakuranga; Portia McPhail, 16, of Manurewa; Huan (Tom) Hsu, 16, of Farm Cove; Anthony Mulder, 16, of Howick; Floyd Fernandes, 16, of Howick, and Tara Gregory, 16, of Mt Wellington.
Elim principal Murray Burton said the candlelight service would be "a time of remembrance and thanksgiving.
"This evening entitled `Part of Something Big - Our Journey' will be led by the bereaved families and assisted by the school," he said.
As part of the memorial, the school is erecting a climbing wall and after tonight's service would be selling the book Never the Same.
He said the school had set up the Elim Christian College Mangatepopo Memorial fund to help families affected by the tragedy.
