North & South – June 2019

NORTH & SOUTH| JUNE 2019| 77

goingtobea showdownatsometime,
andthatdidhappen.”
WhenHolyoake’ssuccessor,JackMar-
shall,arrivedinTeĀnauonthecampaign
trailin1972,hewasmetwithplacards
shouting,“EcologyPower,NotComalco
Power”,“BiggerMayNotBeBetter”,
“SaveourLakes”and“BantheDam”.
Meanwhile,Labour,underNorman
Kirk,hadpromisedtokeepthelakesat
theirnaturallevels,andthiscommit-
mentwascentraltoLaboureasilywin-
ningtheelection,withfoursitting
SouthlandandOtagoNationalMPs
losingtheirseats.
AlanMarkhaslittledoubttheelection
resultsavedLakesManapōuriandTe
Ānaufrombeingraised,believingNa-
tionalwouldhaveproceededdespite
theprotests.Andhealsothinksit saved
hiscareer.“IftheNatshadwon,I’dhave
beendownthegurgler,becausethey
werereallygettingintome.ButLabour
having won, I was flavour of the month.”

A

ndit’swhathappenednext

thatreallyensuredLakeMan-

apōuriwasn’truined.Shortly

aftertheelection,Markgot

a phonecallfromnewPrimeMinis-

terKirk,askingifhe’dheada group

toprotectthelakes.Markaskedwho

elseKirkhadinmindforthebody,and

thePMreeledofffivenames,who’dall

beeninvolvedintheSaveManapouri

Campaign,includingRonMcLeanand

JohnMoore.Itwasanextraordinary

andbravepoliticalmovebecause,as

Markdescribedit,thenewGuardians

ofLakesManapōuri,MonowaiandTe

Ānauwere“thecreamoftherebels”.

Theirjobwastooverseethehealthof

thelakes,andMark,nowknightedfor

hisservicestotheenvironment,re-

mainedchairmanfor 26 years.

TheGuardians’currentchairman,

DarrylSycamore,45,wasn’tevenborn

whentheManapōuriprotestswere

spreading across the country. But, as

oneofMark’sformerstudents,thelinks

withthemovementarestrong,andthe

desiretoprotectthelakejustasfirm.

MuchoftheGuardians’workinvolves

ensuringMeridian,whichoperates

Manapōuri’spowerstation,maintains

thelakewithinitsnaturallevelswhile

generatingpower.(AllManapōuri’s

powerstillgoestotheTiwaiPtsmelter

• a staggering13%ofNewZealand’s
  totalelectricityproduction.)
  Markisnow87,stillworkingasan
  emeritusprofessoratOtagoUniversity,
  andstillsometimesgivingadviceon
  LakeManapōuri.“Life’stooshortto
  hangyourbootsup.”
  HecreditstheManapōuricampaignas
  beingsignificantbeyondsavingthelake,
  sayingitwasa forerunneroftheRe-
  sourceManagementAct,whichrequires
  environmentalvaluestobeconsidered
  indevelopments,andalsohelpedcreate
  theOfficialInformationAct,becauseof
  the secrecy that surrounded government

Above:PrimeMinisterJackMarshall(holdinghishat)wasmetbyalargenumber of
residents opposed to raising the lakes when he visited Te Ānau in July 1972.