Me haere ahau

Alan Titchall’s last editorial after 20 years editing Q&M magazine.

This is my final Q&M magazine and it’s an information ripper as we prepare you for QuarryNZ 2026 in Invercargill.

New contributor Jane Warwick has written the first in a series of women in the workforce with a colourful interview with Nicole Pierce, who won the Kristy Christensen Memorial Award at the Komatsu Women in Extractives awards this year.

Our industry veteran is the much-respected Trevor Watts from the NZ Mines Rescue Service, who is interviewed by veteran writer Hugh de Lacy. After 40 years in the job, he is heading into retirement, and I know how he feels.

The quarry profile is about International Specialty Aggregates and Oreti Aggregates at Oreti Beach in Southland, who also feature as QuarryNZ field trip options. Many thanks to operations manager Richie Sutherland and his team for their involvement in this profile at such a busy time for these quarries.

Descendants of the WW1 NZ Tunnelling Company, who gathered at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington back in April to mark a 110th anniversary, are celebrated by mining historian Kit Wilson.

Bernie Napp from Prospect Consulting shares his tale about a Jumping Goat when, along with 20 IOQ members, he visited Reefton and learnt more about its rich mining history, thanks to host Speirs Finance.

Meanwhile, I am retiring after almost 20 years at Contrafed Publishing where I have edited a number of mags – this one from the very start, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Quarry visits have been a highlight of my writing career – never one the same.

You are a hard-working, honest lot that turn Mother Nature’s aggregate bounty into an essential resource. You contribute far more to this nation of ours, past and future, than the bumptious fools who so abysmally disrespect and misunderstand you.

The farcical anti-industry stance is a hangover from the global ‘back to nature’ movement amongst the youth of the 1960s and 1970s (I was there) and is as unuseful to extraction in the 21st Century as our ‘chicken little’ obsession with ‘climate’ and ‘carbon’ will be to the next. Move on, please, before we become a cultural backwater baying at the Trumps of this world – unheard – while destructively bickering amongst ourselves over dead stuff that should be left in the past.

My gratitude and thanks to the very capable Brendon B for representing the AQA magazine news; magazine supporters from the industry coalface both young and old (especially you Andy L); and the hard-working marketing people who bring you those creative advertisements. Thank you!

To my colleagues, David and Charles – it has been an honour. To our contributors (especially you Richard C), and Tracey A who has designed and mentored this magazine since the first issue – it has been a pleasure!

And welcome Natasha Jojoa Burling who replaces me. Please keep up the work of this magazine to represent, celebrate, defend and advocate for the quarry and mining industry. Natasha will present this magazine’s Tomorrow’s Leaders Award down in Invercargill next month, recognising those who show promise as our future leaders, while acknowledging the veterans who have already paved the way for them. Thanks Steve D, for those stage welcomes over the past 19 awards – it was always much appreciated.

Meantime, I have to go – me haere ahau – and please stay strong – tu kaha – and keep
on extracting for a better future.