Coal: The Rise and Fall of King Coal in New Zealand

From hero to zero, coal has taken New Zealand on a rollercoaster ride since its glory days as the hero fuel of colonial-age New Zealand.

Coal was the fuel on which the colony grew – the stuff that made possible the heating, cooking and lighting essential to family life, a lifestyle exalted during two World Wars and a depression. Coal was pivotal to the country’s growth, even as everybody grumbled about the mess. The men who dug it out of the ground had to keep digging, come what may, but wer...