The Reddale coal mine, near Reefton, employs some of 353 West Coast coal mine workers.
New Zealanders have been told they need to stop using fossil fuels to meet the Government’s target of being carbon neutral by 2050, but where does that leave traditional coal-mining communities like the West Coast? Joanne Naish reports. Coal was first extracted from the depths of the West Coast in 1864 after the discovery of gold in the area and was used to fuel the steam ships trading the precious metal all over the world. Coal has historically kept the West Coast booming, but the industry is dependent on fluctuating international prices and suffered the loss of more than 1000 jobs after the Pike River disaster in 2010 and the subsequent collapse of state-owned coal company Solid Energy.