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 were widely feared to be planning the overthrow of society. Even when coal was dislodged by electricity and clean-burning gas, the stuff lurked behind the scenes.

Then, as the twenty-first century rolled around, coal changed its face again, becoming the demon-child of climate change. Its hero journey was over, and into that mix came the tragedy at Pike River, reminding the nation that coal mining was as dangerous as ever.