“Assurances On Lakes Not Fulfilled”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29498, 27 April 1961, Page 16

“Assurances On Lakes Not Fulfilled”

“The society is appreciative of the announcement by the Minister of Works (Mr Goosman) that at least one of the major threats to the beauty of the Manapouri-Te Anau region has been reduced by specifically limiting the permitted range of fluctuation in Lake Manapouri’s level,” says a statement from the New Zealand Scenery Preservation Society. "This is an implementation of assurances given last year by the Ministers of Works and Lands that Manapouri. if raised, would not fluctuate through an appreciably greater range than at present. This point was also made bv the managing director of Comalco Industries Proprietary. Ltd. (Mr D. J. Hibberd), in a letter to the society last September.

“However, there is no mention of the fulfilment of two other important assurances which have been given to the New Zealand public. One is an assurance by Mr Nash, as Prime Minister, and repeated by Mr Watt, as Minister of Works, in moving the third reading of the Manapouri-Te Anau Development Bill.

“i/Lr Watt said: T am very sympathetic towards those persons who have signed the petition and who brought deputations both to the Prime Minister and to myself. I have given them an assurance, as has the Prime Minister, that if the power that is required for the aluminium industry can be produced at a price that will enable the company to sell its products on the world market without raising the lakes, then the lakes will not be raised. That assurance was given.’ “There is also Mr Holyoake's promise that the National Party as a Government would carry out every possible investigation to ascertain if power could be produced at Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau for the aluminium project without raising the lake levels,” says the statement. “Not Obtained” “The society has so far been unable to obtain an assurance that any engineer has ever been specifically instructed to report on every possible means of fulfilling these promises, and at no stage has the Ministry of Works had to justify its recommendations before any authority competent to criticise. until too late. “With regard to Te Anau, it is good news that the maximum control level of this lake will be substantially below the level which would threaten Te Anau township, and that damage to the Te Anau shoreline may be avoided altogether. However, the Minister of

Works gave an assurance to this society last February that Lake Te Anau would not be raised to a level which would kill trees round its shoreline,” says the statement.

“We cannot be happy that the threat of ‘treatment on the same lines as for Manapouri’ hangs over the shoreline of this lake. “Power to decide whether or not these lakes will be raised is now completely in the hands of Comalco. even though the New Zealand public still has no official information as to how much is being gained, and by whom, if these sacrifices are made,” it says.

“Company Gained” “No assurance has been given that the beaches will be replaced as requested by the Fiordland National Park Board. It should also be noted that the company has gained very appreciably by the substantial wateringdown of the board’s requirements for stump removal. “The society is waiting with interest for replies to a number of questions which have been sent to the Minister of Works and also for the report on alternative schemes which do not involve raising the lake levels. “Mr Hibberd told the society’s representatives in Wellington recently that a copy of the Bechtel engineering report would be sent to the Government, and he would have no objection to the fulfilment of Mr Nash's promise that engineers of this society would be allowed to see this report.” the statement says.