Read more
Winner: Post Book Award, Best First Book, Non-fiction. On a sunny afternoon in November 2010, a massive explosion rocked the underground Pike River coal mine, deep in a mountain range in New Zealand's South Island. More than an hour and a half later, two ashen men stumbled from the mine's entrance to report that 29 men remained trapped inside. Samples revealed extremely high levels of carbon monoxide in the mine and the presence of fire. For five agonizing days the men's families and friends waited and prayed until, after a second violent blast, all hope was extinguished.
Tragedy at Pike River Mine is a dramatic, suspenseful account of a disaster that shook the nation--and the world. Pike River was no ordinary mine. It had been touted by the company and by government ministers as a showcase of modern mining. Shares in the company had been rapidly taken up by investors, swept away by predictions of extraordinary returns. Beneath the hype, though, lay mismanagement, mistakes, and willful blindness that would cost men their lives. Based on extensive research and more than a hundred interviews, this powerful book provides chilling insights into the causes of the tragedy and puts a human face on the people who suffered.
About the author
Rebecca Macfie has been a senior writer for
New Zealand Listener, senior writer and deputy editor for
Canvas magazine, editor and deputy editor for
Unlimited magazine, and has written extensively for
Independent Business Weekly and
National Business Review. She has nearly 30 years' experience in journalism and has won numerous awards. She is currently writing a biography of Helen Kelly, the first woman to head New Zealand's Council of Trade Unions.
