In pictures: Our environmental storyJOSEPH JOHNSON/STUFFOnce it was a popular camping spot, but now Coes Ford at the Selwyn River has become symbolic of freshwater issues. It took nearly 150 years, but the Whanganui river, a treasured taonga, was granted legal personhood in 2017. The Whanganui river was particularly connected to its iwi, which has lived in close proximity to its banks across its entire length for centuries. The birth of New Zealand's environmental movement can be traced to Lake Manapouri in Fiordland, a calm, blue lake beneath the Southern Alps. When Norman Kirk became prime minister, the plan was scuppered, marking the first time a major development project had been successfully opposed on environmental grounds.

Source: Stuff August 26, 2017 17:15 UTC