Former Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton is being buried on Waiheke Island this afternoon.

Anderton died last weekend, two weeks shy of his 80th birthday.

• READ MORE: Political Roundup: Jim Anderton – the man who saved the left in NZ

Hundreds attended his funeral in Christchurch on Thursday afternoon, held at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Addington, Christchurch.

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Among those who came to pay their respects were Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Finance Minister Grant Robertson, Wigram MP and Cabinet Minister Megan Woods (Anderton's successor in Wigram), Christchurch Mayor and former Labour MP Lianne Dalziel, Auckland Mayor and former Labour leader Phil Goff, former Labour leader David Cunliffe, and Christchurch-based MPs including Labour's Ruth Dyson, Poto Williams and National's Gerry Brownlee and David Carter.

Emotional and loving tributes were given by Anderton's children and his grandchildren were his pallbearers.

The funeral was open for the public to attend and streamed live on Youtube.

• READ MORE: Funeral for Jim Anderton held in Christchurch

A death notice announced he was being buried at Onetangi Cemetery at 2pm on Saturday, January 13.

Anderton was remembered last week by his former Alliance co-party member Laila Harre as a stalwart of the left who was "always most relaxed among working-class people".

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark remembered him as a "diligent and kind" man - and admitted he had been right about Kiwi Bank, which she said would be one of his legacies.

• READ MORE: Helen Clark's tribute to 'diligent, kind' Jim Anderton