Why are protections being questioned at this moment? We can speculate about political dynamics, macroeconomic pressures or tight budgets, but maybe there’s a more straightforward reason. Between 1990 and 2008 we had two prime ministers whose idea of escape was to head for the hills. Instead of Hawai`i or North America, Jim Bolger would take his family to explore the Routeburn, Greenstone and Caples tracks. Helen Clark would spend her holidays cross-country skiing in Canterbury’s more remote valleys. Their knowledge of our protected areas came from direct experience. They didn’t need briefings or policy papers to understand how precious these places are.