Royal Honour for Les Hutchins

Forest and Bird, Issue 305, 1 August 2002, Page 5

Royal Honour for Les Hutchins

A wx tourist entrepreneur and longtime conservationist, Les Hutchins OBE, has been made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to conservation and tourism. The award, announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, is the equivalent of the former knighthoods. Les Hutchins was the founder of Fiordland Travel and has a record of service in conservation which includes the Save Lake Manapouri campaign in the 1960s, and membership of the former National Parks Authority during the 1980s and the first New Zealand Conservation Authority (1990-93). After service as an air force pilot in the Second World War, Les Hutchins began in the

furniture business in Invercargill. He then pioneered a tourist business at Manapouri which included a trek over the Wilmot Pass and an overnight stay at Doubtful Sound. From this base he developed Fiordland Travel into the tourist company which now runs buses, ships and a fleet of aircraft in the Milford-Te Anau and Queenstown areas. ‘Fiordland Travel Ltd has been ground-breaking in its environmental interpretation for travellers and in sustainable tourism development, the background to his award says. In conservation, his activities began with the Save Manapouri campaign. When work was planned to generate hydroelectric power from Lake Manapouri, Les Hutchins spearheaded a successful campaign against the raising of

the lake levels. It led to New Zealand’s largest-ever petition. He was appointed to the Guardians of the Lakes group to advise on the management of Manapouri and Te Anau in 1973, serving until 1999. Les Hutchins has also been a benefactor, establishing a conservation foundation to help underprivileged youth to attend outdoor camps, and also supporting the Deep Cove Hostel, an educational facility in Doubtful Sound. He also gave seed money for the establishment of a Fiordland museum in Te Anau, and the New Zealand Natural Heritage Foundation which benefits parks and conservation. He has been patron of the New Zealand Natural Heritage Foundation, since its inception in 2000.