Guardians of Lake Manapouri

Last updated

The Guardians of Lake Manapouri, Monowai and Te Anau is a statutory body appointed to make recommendations to the New Zealand Minister of Conservation on any matters arising from the environmental, ecological, and social effects of the operation of the Manapouri Power Station on the townships of Manapouri and Te Anau, Lake Manapouri and Lake Te Anau and their shorelines, and on the rivers flowing in and out of those lakes, having particular regard to the effects of the operation on social values, conservation, recreation, tourism, and related activities and amenities. [1]

The Conservation Act 1987 sets out the functions and roles of the Guardians. Since 1998, the act stipulates that at least one Guardian must be a person nominated by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. [1]

The setting up of the Guardians was a result of the Save Manapouri campaign but came as a surprise. Shortly after the 1972 general election, the new prime minister, Norman Kirk, rang Alan Mark and asked him whether he would lead a group whose role it was to protect the lakes. The initial six Guardians, as chosen by Kirk, were all prominent leaders of the Save Manapouri Campaign. Mark became the inaugural chairperson and held this role for 26 years: [2] [3]

The current Guardians are: [4]

Related Research Articles

Lake Wānaka

Lake Wānaka is New Zealand's fourth-largest lake. In the Otago region, it is 278 meters above sea level, covers 192 km2 (74 sq mi), and is more than 300 m (980 ft) deep.

Fiordland National Park

Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is by far the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of 12,607 square kilometres (4,868 sq mi), and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation.

Manapouri Power Station Dam in west end of Lake Manapōuri, Fiordland National Park, Southland

Manapōuri Power Station is an underground hydroelectric power station on the western arm of Lake Manapouri in Fiordland National Park, in the South Island of New Zealand. At 850 MW installed capacity, it is the largest hydroelectric power station in New Zealand, and the second largest power station in New Zealand. The station is noted for the controversy and environmental protests by the Save Manapouri Campaign against the raising the level of Lake Manapouri to increase the station's hydraulic head, which galvanised New Zealanders and were one of the foundations of the New Zealand environmental movement.

Lake Manapouri

Lake Manapouri is located in the South Island of New Zealand. The lake is situated within the Fiordland National Park and the wider region of Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.

Ngāi Tahu Māori iwi (tribe) of the South Island, New Zealand

Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori iwi (tribe) of the South Island. Its takiwā is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti, Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point in the north to Stewart Island in the south. The takiwā comprises 18 rūnanga corresponding to traditional settlements.

Lake Te Anau

Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of 344 km2 (133 sq mi), making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and the largest in the South Island. It is the largest lake in Australasia by fresh water volume.

Save Manapouri campaign

The Save Manapouri campaign was an environmental campaign waged between 1969 and 1972 in New Zealand to prevent the raising of the levels of lakes Manapouri and Te Anau as part of the construction of the Manapouri Power Project.

Manapouri Place in New Zealand

Manapouri is a small town in Southland / Fiordland, in the southwest corner of the South Island, in New Zealand. The township is the westernmost municipality in New Zealand. Located at the edge of the Fiordland National Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Manapouri, close to its outflow into the Waiau River, tourist boat services are based in the town.

1972 New Zealand general election

The New Zealand general election of 1972 was held on 25 November to elect MPs to the 37th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, defeated the governing National Party.

Lake Monowai

Lake Monowai is a large lake in the southern part of Fiordland National Park, in New Zealand's South Island, 120 kilometres northwest of Invercargill. At an altitude of 180 metres in a long curved valley, the lake appears on maps shaped like a letter "U". The western part of the lake is set in beautiful mountainous country. It is drained in the northeast by the short Monowai River, which enters the Waiau River eight kilometres to the northeast.

Lake Hauroko

Lake Hauroko is the deepest lake in New Zealand. The lake, which is 462 metres deep, is located in a mountain valley in Fiordland National Park.

Environmental movement in New Zealand

The environmental movement in New Zealand started in the 1960s, a period of rapid social change. Since then numerous high-profile national campaigns have contested various environmental issues. The environmental movement eventually spawned the Values Party, which was the first political party with a strong focus on environmental issues to contest national elections. The Values Party eventually morphed into the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Waiau River (Southland)

Waiau River is the largest river in the Southland region of New Zealand. 'Waiau' translates to 'River of Swirling Currents'. It is the outflow of Lake Te Anau, flowing from it into Lake Manapouri 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the south, and from there flows south for 70 kilometres (43 mi) before reaching the Foveaux Strait 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Tuatapere. It also takes water from Lake Monowai.

Fiordland Trails Trust

The Fiordland Trails Trust, New Zealand, was formed in March 2007, and is an Organisation, with Charitable and Donee Status. The Group was set up in response to the need for a recreational cycleway linking the Towns of Manapouri and Te Anau, much of which has high scenic and recreational values. The Trust aims to construct, Fund and Maintain regional multi use trails for the Department of Conservation In the Fiordland and Northern Southland area.

Southland, New Zealand Region of New Zealand

Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. It includes Southland District, Gore District and the city of Invercargill. The region covers over 3.1 million hectares and spans over 3,400 km of coast.

Mark Solomon (Māori leader)

Sir Mark Wiremu Solomon is a New Zealand Māori leader from the Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Kurī (Kaikōura) iwi. He served as kaiwhakahaere (chairperson) of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, the tribal council of Ngāi Tahu, for approximately 18 years, from 1998 until December 2016. His departure as tribal chair followed his decision in April 2016 not to seek re-election as the tribal representative for Kaikoura. Solomon continues to act in various directorship roles including as chair of the Canterbury District Health Board.

Takitimu Mountains

The Takitimu Mountains extend in a north-south direction southeast of Te Anau and Manapouri. The mountain range is about 30 kilometres (19 mi) long and contains several peaks of around 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) height, with the Brunel Peaks reaching 1,650 metres (5,410 ft).

Rākaihautū was the captain of the Uruaokapuarangi canoe and a Polynesian ancestor of various iwi, most famously of Waitaha and other southern groups, though he is also known in the traditions of Taitokerau, and in those of Rarotonga.

Leslie Hutchins was a New Zealand tourism operator and conservationist. Together with his wife, he bought a tourism company in 1954 that is today Real Journeys; it still remains mostly in family ownership. Hutchins was one of the founding members of the Save Manapouri campaign and became one of the initial six Guardians of Lake Manapouri.

Sir Alan Francis Mark is a New Zealand botanist and environmentalist. He was an initial member of the Save Manapouri campaign and the inaugural chair of the Guardians of Lake Manapouri for 26 years.

References

  1. 1 2 "Conservation Act 1987 No 65 (as at 21 March 2017), Public Act – New Zealand Legislation". Government of New Zealand. 31 March 1987. Retrieved 15 August 2017.PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. White, Mike (30 June 2019). "Saving Manapōuri: The campaign that changed a nation". North & South .
  3. Williams, Guy (28 September 2019). "Powerful exploits of engineering". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  4. "Appointments to the Guardians of Lakes Manapouri, Monowai and Te Anau" . Retrieved 12 December 2019.