One family, one mining story since 1956
In 1956, Jules Mai left Tahiti for the Kouaoua mining centre. Seventy years on, the group he founded with Émilienne remains a family business, handed down to the grandchildren.
1956: from Tahiti to Kouaoua
In 1956, Jules Mai left Tahiti and joined the Kouaoua mining centre, within the Pentecost mining group. He started there as a storekeeper, then became a salesman and manager of the spare-parts store.
In the early 1960s, assigned to the assay laboratory, he bought two trucks and worked on the Pentecost mines in Houaïlou.
With Émilienne Tehei Boewa, from Nindhia, in Houaïlou, he laid the foundations of a venture that would span three generations.
Learning in the field: prospecting on foot
Between 1968 and 1970, Jules Mai delivered 6,000 tonnes of ore grading 2.60%. He took charge of all Pentecost prospecting and, with two partners, launched the working of a concession on the Houaïlou mine.
In the 1970s, he carried out five years of itinerant prospecting across the whole of Grande Terre, most often on foot. The children grew up to the rhythm of the camps.
To this day, Jules Mai has never stopped prospecting on foot: he is still out on the massifs. This field know-how, built up since the late 1950s, remains the bedrock of the group.
1984: the birth of MKM
After thirty years at Pentecost, Jules Mai founded MKM (Maï Kouaoua Mines) in 1984, then a subcontractor to NMC. Wilfrid, the eldest son, was already working on the mine. His brothers Philippe and Noël joined the group when they came of age; the sisters Graziella, Mireille, Ada and Nina took part in the venture.
The following decades widened its scope: the Sireis mine at Népoui in 1989, the creation of Maï Holding Compagnie in 1993, the first mining titles at N'Go and the acquisition of Pacifique Pneus in 1994, the creation of SMP in 2000, and the formation of the GIE Groupe MAI in 2003.
In 2011, the opening of the Ada mine marked the return of mining to Mont-Dore. The Graziella mine followed in 2016. The timeline below traces these milestones.
Mines named after the family
In the Grand Sud, the group's mines bear the first names of Jules and Émilienne's daughters: Ada, worked since 2010-2011, Graziella, in production since 1 April 2016, and Mireille, under exploration permit in 2026.
On the water, the barge fleet's two tugboats carry the founders' first names: Le Jules and L'Émilienne.
Every site and every vessel is a reminder that the group remains, above all, a family story.
Tribute to Wilfrid Mai (1961-2024)
Wilfrid Mai (1961-2024), the eldest of the siblings, began working on the mine at barely fifteen, alongside his father. As managing director of MKM, he accompanied the group's development for four decades. From 2013 to 2024, he chaired the Syndicat des industries de la mine (SIM); in 2009 he also co-founded ContraKmine, the union of mining subcontractors, together with Max Foucher, now its honorary president. He passed away on 5 October 2024, aged 62.
The local press has told his story: the portrait « Né dans le minerai » (Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes, 2013, in French) and the announcement of his passing (Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes, October 2024, in French).
« IL FAUT TRAVAILLER ! »: values and their handing down
Émilienne Mai's motto, adopted by the whole group, comes down to three words: « IL FAUT TRAVAILLER ! ». It sums up the standard passed on by Jules and Émilienne Mai to their children, and then to their grandchildren.
These values show on the ground: mining know-how built up since the late 1950s and lasting partnerships with customary chiefs, local communities, institutions and the communes near the sites.
The family tradition lives on as the grandchildren of Jules and Émilienne Mai join the group's various companies. The group's management and our teams, more than 150 employees in 2026, carry this standard every day.
It also comes through in the recent figures: 215,000 tonnes exported in 2024, capacity raised to 450,000 tonnes in 2025, and export authorisations renewed with Glencore, until 2031, and with Japan's Pamco, until 2035.
Key milestones
- 1956 Jules Mai arrives from Tahiti and joins the Kouaoua mining centre (the Pentecost mining group) as a storekeeper.
- 1960 Jules Mai buys two trucks and works on the Pentecost mines in Houaïlou.
- 1968-1970 Delivery of 6,000 tonnes of ore grading 2.60%. Jules Mai takes charge of all Pentecost prospecting.
- 1970 Five years of itinerant prospecting across the whole of Grande Terre, most often on foot. The children grow up to the rhythm of the camps.
- 1984 Creation of MKM (Maï Kouaoua Mines) after thirty years at Pentecost. His sons join him: Wilfrid first, then Philippe and Noël when they come of age.
- 1989 Working of the Sireis mine, at Népoui, as a subcontractor for SLN.
- 1993 Creation of Maï Holding Compagnie (MHC).
- 1994 First acquisitions of mining titles at N'Go and acquisition of Pacifique Pneus, Bridgestone distributor.
- 1996 Creation of MKM's works council.
- 1999-2010 Direct-labour works for SLN on the Kiel Méa mine, at Kouaoua: environmental works, stripping, extraction.
- 2000 Creation of the Société Minière de Poro (SMP), mining contractor to SLN on the Bonini mine, in Houaïlou.
- 2003 Formation of the GIE Groupe MAI.
- 2009-2011 Revival of three concessions south of Plum. The Ada mine reopens in 2011: the return of mining to Mont-Dore.
- 2013 Wilfrid Mai is elected chairman of the Syndicat des industries de la mine (SIM). Ten-year contract with Japan's Pamco (250,000 tonnes per year). MKM's barge fleet becomes fully independent.
- 2015-2016 MKM is the only company authorised to export to China. Opening of the Graziella mine (1 April 2016).
- 2019 The Conseil d'État definitively upholds MKM's export authorisations.
- 2024 Death of Wilfrid Mai on 5 October. Tributes from the government, the SIM and the whole profession. 215,000 tonnes exported to China and Korea over the year.
- 2025 Authorisations renewed with Glencore (until 2031) and Pamco (until 2035); capacity raised to 450,000 tonnes. Chartering of the Afros, a wind-powered ore carrier.
- 2026 The SIM, of which MKM is a member, launches C'Nickel, an educational campaign about the nickel industry.
