Photo: Ben Robinson | In New Zealand, Dick and Jillian Jardine have turned away multiple offers from overseas developers looking to purchase 900 hectares of pristine land at the foot of The Remarkables mountain range by the edge of Lake Wakatipu. Having owned and worked the land for 98 years and hoping to see it protected for another century, the Jardine family handed over the land to the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust for the benefit and enjoyment of all New Zealanders because it is the right thing to do. "We want to keep it as it is forever, we don't want buildings all over it or housing, there's so much housing going in,"Jillian Jardine stated. "We want to be part of saving something. With mounting pressures of population growth and tourism, "open landscapes in the Wakatipu basin have come under increasing pressure from subdivision and commercial development," said Bruce Wills, the Trust's chair. "But the wide-open landscapes of the district are the very values that have attracted both tourists and new residents to the area. Luckily for the future, the awe-inspiring nature of these 900 hectares will be preserved for generations to come.
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