North & South – June 2019

70 | NORTH & SOUTH|JUNE 2019

ENVIRONMENT

MikeWhiteisNorth&South’sseniorwriter.PhotographybyMikeWhite.

Fiftyyearsago,a smallgroupgatheredinanInvercargill

livingroomtosaveoneofourmostbeautifullakes.

Whattheylaunchedthatnightnotonlyrescued

LakeManapōuri,butchangedsociety.MikeWhitelooks

backonthegroundbreakingcampaignthatsparked

NewZealand’smodernconservationmovement,and

asks why it’s still so hard to protect the environment.