Documentary on Manapouri

Press, 26 November 1980, Page 22

Documentary on Manapouri

The controversy over Lake Manapouri was the first national-scale environmental battle in New Zealand’s history. The argument, over whether Lake Manapouri should be raised to service an aluminium smelter, raged between 1959-1972. Successive governments fought to allay public concern over the issue, but opposition to possible lake raising grew into a nation-

wide protest. Conservationists charged that full scientific and economic appraisals of the Manapouri scheme remained undone. By the 1972 election, Manapouri had become a vote-catching issue, and the incoming Labour Government (under Norman Kirk) pledged not to raise the lake. In fact, that Administration created a unique group from amongst the most out-

spoken critics of the scheme*. The Lake Guardians. The Guardians were given full access to official information and were aksed to advise Government cm operating levels for the lake. The guidelines drawn up by the Lake Guardians represent a successful compromise, which allows for effective utilisation of nearly all of the lake’s energy potential, while preserving the beauty of the lake and its

surrounding environment. The "Lookout” final on Network One on Friday. “A Question Of Power: The Manapouri Debate” is not merely important as a historical document; it is increasingly relevant in a world where the pressure to develop natural resources for energy is unprecedented. The story, as it unfolds, examines some of the principles and mechanisms of “democracy in action.*’