Coal and the Coast A Reflection on the Pike River Disaster

An observer's account of the Pike River coal mine explosion that killed 29 miners on New Zealand's South Island questions what the miner deaths mean for workplace health and safety. As it debates the future of coal mining in the current climate of change and explains how the West Coast has moved on from the center of radicalism it represented in the early 20th century, this book also analyzes the economic and political aspects associated with mining in New Zealand.

Paul Maunder is a writer and director of plays and films. He is currently involved with the Blackball Museum of Working Class History and is the author of the short-story collection Tornado.