Fighting industry her town was built on

• Published date: 07 October 2021

In rural Southland, coal is black gold.

The controversial fossil fuel has turned the wheels of industry in quiet backwaters for longer than most residents can remember.

But change is blowing a cold wind down the hill from the Takitimu Mountains into Ohai and Nightcaps.

Last month, one of the region’s longest-standing mines announced it was closing after more than 100 years in the business.

At the same time, another is looking to enter the market at a council-owned forestry block nearby.

In Wellington, 1000km north of both sites, and the town she grew up in, 20-year-old Miss Marnane finds herself in a unique position.

In August, Forest & Bird announced it would take Southland District Council to court for allowing exploration at the new site.

As Forest & Bird’s youth communication manager, Miss Marnane is now challenging an industry which remains the lifeblood of the two small towns she still calls home.

But she isn’t afraid of battles. Her life began with one when she was born three months premature.

When she entered the world, she was so small her father’s wedding ring fit around her wrist, she said.

The early start and ensuing challenges gave her a mantra she had carried into adulthood: life is a miracle.

‘‘I guess that’s what drives me to want to make change and speak up,’’ she said.

‘‘I’m so lucky to be here, to just exist. So I think it’s really important that lots of people see the value that our lives have.’’

For Miss Marnane, her philosophy has led her to a place where she is dedicating her life to looking after what she loves most — nature.

Miss Marnane’s family didn’t stay in Invercargill long after she was born, and she spent her entire childhood in Nightcaps, population 300.

Before she was born, both of her parents worked in the mine, and hold different views to her regarding the environment.

‘‘Working in the mines is quite a prestige thing, it’s quite a risky profession. It is something that’s seen as heroic, in a way,’’ she said.

But Miss Marnane has always felt like the odd one out.

In primary school, education was, at times, directed towards coal mining, and she had vivid memories of going to the Ohai site for a school trip.

While all the other children were fascinated by the machinery, Miss Marnane was unsettled, but couldn’t quite figure out why.

‘‘Throughout my whole life, I’ve seen myself as an outsider. I’ve had different opinions, and I haven’t been able to express those,’’ she said.

‘‘It wasn’t normal to have different opinions...