Tragedy at Pike River Mine

“‘A devastating account of a needless tragedy. Macfie capably dissects the corporate culture, explains the mine environment, and deals compassionately with the personal stories of the victims, and the loved ones they left behind. This book is a must-read for all those who find it incomprehensible how such an event can occur in the 21st century in our supposedly developed, modern nation”

Victor Billot, Otago Daily Times

“Macfie gets to the heart of a complex and detailed story without losing or confusing her audience. … Lucid, exhaustive, enraging’ – Guy Somerset, New Zealand Listener ‘If you’ve already read accolades for this book, they’re all deserved and then some. Macfie digs through a mountain of information to deliver a compelling account of what went wrong at Pike River.”

Jim Eagles and Mark Fryer, Weekend Herald

“Macfie’s powerful narrative brings a new, refreshing, insightful voice to tell a tale of corporate failure, and the men who paid the price.”

Laura Mills, Greymouth Evening Star

“An astonishingly good book – hard to put down, brilliant. … If there is one book you need to read when it comes to corporate negligence, this is it.”

Duncan Garner, RadioLive Drive

“At its heart, the Pike River disaster is a business story, and its full telling needed a business journalist of Rebecca Macfie’s experience and acumen. Her account is complex yet highly readable, and sometimes shocking’ – Philip Matthews, The Press
‘Rebecca Macfie has done the country a service in bringing this complex, drawn-out story so clearly to light. At its most banal it’s a page-turner. … And her prose is a perfect example of Orwell’s gold standard for good writing: as clear as a window pane. … Macfie’s work in laying down another plank in this sorry history deserves not just a prize but a medal.”

Jane Westaway, New Zealand Books

“Credit is due to Rebecca Macfie for her book Tragedy at Pike River Mine. The investigation makes compelling reading and illustrates the power of journalism in book form’ – John Drinnan, The New Zealand Herald
‘Journalist Rebecca Macfie’s research is relentless and her writing style is easily accessible. She creates a palpable sense of urgency and anticipation, despite the fact readers already know the outcome.”

Ellen Read, The Sunday Star-Times

“Should be compulsory reading for every director, manager and student of business in this country. The book leaves you in no doubt this was an accident waiting to happen…. The question you are left with is why, in the modern age, a workplace can turn into a death trap… The book is compelling, thorough and at the same time harrowing.”

Andrew Patterson, Newsroom

“Macfie has absorbed and transmits a huge amount of detail, much of it quite technical, and always manages to stay on just the right side of lucidity.”

Paul Little, North & South

“Macfie’s writing is straightforward and factual, which only increases the emotional impact of the book … [It] will stand for a long time as one of the classics of New Zealand non-fiction.”

Lewis Martin, Nelson Mail

“Rebecca Macfie has undertaken a forensic dissection, meticulously documenting every crucial misstep, calculated and miscalculated, leading up to the fatal day. She paints a powerful picture of how far apart the public corporate face of Pike River Coal Ltd was from the chaotic, scrambling, reckless reality to which the company’s workers and contractors were exposed. This riveting and extraordinarily authoritative book will withstand the closest professional and journalistic scrutiny.”

Cate Brett, former editor, The Sunday Star-Times

“This is the best sort of journalism – methodical, well researched and dispassionate. But you can feel its cold anger.”

Nicholas Reid, Reid’s Reader