Western Australia, the state that led the mining boom, is now bleeding, shedding thousands of jobs, sacking public servants, and battling a sharply declining economy.

There is a huge value in the fact that in New Zealand we have clean water and beautiful forests to enjoy, so why doesn't our GDP reflect this?

In her judgment against what was in many respects a phantom company on trial, Judge Jane Farish was clear about where the buck should stop, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

One of the Pike River Mine directors says he may consider contributing to the $3.41million reparation ordered to families of the men who died in the mine three years ago.

Troubled state miner Solid Energy doled out more than $15 million to charities in the decade before its parlous financial state was revealed earlier this year.

Pike River does not have the cash to pay compensation to the families of the men who died in its mine because the money has already been spent on legal fees.

Pike River Coal's sentence of millions in fines and reparation has been welcomed by the miners' union, but they say a law change is needed to hold those responsible to account.

Plunging gold prices have forced miners to change their plans, with Oceana Gold moving to mothball an open pit on the West Coast while the world's biggest miner.

Well-connected lobbyists Saunders Unsworth worked with Solid Energy, Treasury and Cabinet Ministers to thwart questions about the company's problems.

Shares in New Zealand and Australia's largest gold producers have bombed in recent weeks, with Australian giant Newcrest Mining shedding A$9 billion ($10.72 billion) in share value.

Far North Mayor Wayne Brown's prospecting company is one of three that has won gold and silver exploration permits worth up to $13 million to Northland even if they don't result in mining.

Three companies, including one partly owned by Far North Mayor Wayne Brown, have been awarded permits to explore for minerals at five Northland locations

An independent review of events leading to Solid Energy's near collapse has raised questions.

An independent review of events leading to Solid Energy's near-collapse has raised questions over Treasury's response to early warning signs of trouble.

Conservationists fighting a decision to allow an Australian mining company to dig for coal on the West Coast's Denniston Plateau have suffered a major setback today.

The Denniston Plateau deal shows that National and the mining industry have learned their lesson from their last attempt to mine on conservation land.

Mining on conservation land, deep-sea oil drilling, subdivisions on unspoilt coastline, cranes in suburbia - they bring protests on the streets and rouse neighbours from their burrows.

The priorities are clearly badly wrong, writes Bryan Walker. NZ needs to turn its back on a prosperity resulting in severe threats to the human future and build an economy which flourishes on green energy sources.

Waihi residents' groups fighting a company's plans to mine beneath their homes are taking their battle to the Environment Court.

The company behind a proposed underground gold mine beneath homes in Waihi will appeal against parts of the resource consent.

A High Court hearing gets underway in Christchurch this morning as environmental groups try more ways to stall mining on the Denniston Plateau.

Newmont Waihi Gold hopes to start work on its controversial $1 billion Correnso underground mine around the middle of next year.