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Part one of three from this full length documentary.
Part two of three from this full length documentary.
Part three of three from this full length documentary.
The credits for this documentary.
A Question of Power - The Manapouri Debate
Television (Full Length) – 1980
The bid to raise the level of Fiordland’s Lake Manapōuri (to provide hydro-electricity for an aluminum smelter) resulted in controversy between 1959 and 1972. This film charts a (still-timely) debate as arguments for industrial growth and cheap energy vie with views advocating for ecological values. New Zealand’s first large-scale environmental campaign ensued, and its “damn the dam” victory was a spur for the modern conservation movement — drawing an unprecedented petition, Forest and Bird, and figures like farmer Ron McLean and botanist Alan Mark into the fray.
There are so many questions on your placards, that frankly, I couldn’t answer them all.– Prime Minister Keith Holyoake
Key Cast & Crew
Acknowledgements
Produced for New Zealand Electricity by the National Film Unit.
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