Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand "remains committed" to pursuing justice and accountability a decade on from the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17.
All 298 passengers and crew were killed 10 years ago today when a Russian missile struck a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine.
The Boeing 777 MH17 was around three hours into its 12-hour flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur when contact was lost.
In a post to X, Peters wrote: "We remember the reckless and tragic loss of life of the 298 passengers and crew members, and our thoughts are with their loved ones.
"New Zealand remains committed to pursuing justice and accountability."
Two New Zealanders were aboard the flight — one citizen and one resident.
Robert Ayley, 29, lived in Ōtaki on the Kāpiti Coast with his wife and two sons.
A statement from his family at the time said Ayley would "live on in his family".
"The circumstances of Rob's death are unique as Rob was unique but, beneath it all, he was a happy man who loved life and did what he could to make others happy too."
Mary Menke, 65, and her Dutch-born husband were returning to their home in Australia when the plane was shot out of the sky.
In a statement, the family said they would be "sorely missed".
"We take comfort in the fact they were together and that's how they would have wanted it to be."
An investigation by the Dutch Safety Board concluded a Russian-made missile, which exploded just above the left side of the cockpit, brought the plane down.
Wreckage was found scattered across an area of about 50 square kilometres.
It is believed Russian separatists mistook the commercial passenger plane for a Ukrainian military aircraft .
Three men were convicted of murder in absentia by a Dutch court in 2022.
Igor Girkin, who was commanding the armed forces in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic at the time of the attack, Sergey Dubinskiy, a deputy of Girkin who was leading intelligence activities in the area, and Leonid Kharchenko, who was leading a pro-Russian rebel unit in Donetsk were sentenced to life in prison.
However, they were likely to go unpunished by Russia, which has vehemently denied involvement.
How NZ aided recovery
Six New Zealand police disaster victim identification experts flew to Ukraine within a week of the 2014 tragedy.
First rotation commander Inspector Mike Wright said at the time the Kiwis helped identify 183 victims.
"There was little doubt New Zealand would answer the call for help. New Zealand’s DVI expertise is internationally acknowledged, with the response to the Erebus disaster in 1979 setting a benchmark."
Wright said workers were motivated to help grieving families and a determination to treat victims with the utmost respect and dignity.
"Like all those I’ve worked with, I get a real sense of satisfaction from knowing I’ve been able to bring closure to families in particularly trying circumstances."
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