Stories of the Manapōuri hydro project

The Middle of Nowhere, by oral historian Dr Rosemary Baird, captures this well-known project’s danger, isolation, and camaraderie through the voices of those who lived it. Dr Baird became interested in the Manapōuri project while researching her PhD thesis at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury.

“My research was about New Zealanders migrating to and from Australia looking for work. One of my first interviewees, Frank, had worked at Manapōuri. He talked about the dangers and hardship of life there, and he was a born storyteller. I was hooked,” says Dr Baird.

Existing histories of the hydro scheme focused on technical aspects of large-scale electricity generation, or ‘Save Manapōuri’ conservation campaign that ran from 1969 to 1972. Dr Baird believed an oral history would add a diversity of voices and experiences to this important chapter in the history of Aotearoa.

She recorded 18 life histories with members of the Manapōuri community. Collectively, they paint a vivid picture of life in the harsh Fiordland environment as interviewees recall a diverse range of personal, political, and social experiences. They touch on the challenges for women living and working in the isolated community, class hierarchies, attitudes surrounding ethnicity, sexuality, and gender, and responses to the conservation campaign.

Evocative photographs, including many from the interviewees’ personal collections, help to capture the singular experience of life at Manapōuri. Dr Baird believes the resulting collage of memories will appeal to a wide audience, especially in light of the personal connections many New Zealanders have to the project. “Thousands of people were employed there and for their descendants these stories will contain a lot of insights.”

Dr Rosemary Baird will be sharing Stories from the Manapōuri Hydro Project in conversation with Liz Grant as part of the WORD Christchurch Festival 2025, proudly supported by Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury. The Middle of Nowhere is published by Canterbury University Press.

LEFT While the hydro village is still being built children make their own fun with swings, a tricycle, and a paddling pool. Credit: Dorothy Kitchingham Collection; TOP AND BOTTOM RIGHT Electricians collecting explosives and then wiring the face at Deep Cove. Credit: Arthur Radley Collection.