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Story: Southland places

‘Save Manapōuri’

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‘Save Manapōuri’

In the late 1960s there was a bid to raise the level of Lake Manapōuri, to increase the output of its hydroelectric power station. The proposal triggered a wave of protest. ‘Share certificates’, sold for 50 cents (about $6.50 in 2008) raised funds for the campaign, which succeeded. The ‘share dividend’ was the retention of the lake in its natural state.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: Eph-A-ENVIRONMENT-1970-01

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

David Grant, Southland places – Fiordland’s lakes, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/ephemera/20224/save-manapouri (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by David Grant, published 2 March 2009, updated 25 May 2015.