Whangarei Falls was preserved under the Scenery Preservation Act.
How did some of NZ s most scenic spots win protection from development? WILL HARVIE takes a look at the history of government-funded efforts to protect some of our beautiful landscapes. As gigs go, being appointed to the Scenery Preservation Commission in 1904 sounds pretty good. They were given expense accounts and ordered to visit all parts of Aotearoa New Zealand to find naturally beautiful places. The commissioners then bought these places (or tried to) and preserved them for all time. The five men who got this gig indeed identified and bought beautiful places – 61 of them totalling almost 5900 hectares.