Matariki drone light show planned

Dunedin's night sky will become a "canvas" for New Zealand’s largest light show later this month, when up to 220 drones with coloured flashing lights will create spectacular artworks in celebration of Matariki.

The free community event, organised by the New Zealand International Science Festival (NZISF), will be held at the University Oval on June 29 — weather permitting — or the following day.

NZISF director Jerome Cousins said organisers had been working closely with Drone Sky Shows Australia and the Civil Aviation Authority since receiving Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment funding for the event in 2022.

They had hoped to run the drone light show to open last year’s science festival in Dunedin, but they could not get CAA approval in time.

"A drone night show had never happened in New Zealand before, so the Civil Aviation Authority hadn’t even created or printed the permits that needed to be granted to run such a show.

"Those things take time to put together, so we just couldn’t get it across the line last year."

He said the show now had CAA approval, but MBIE staff said the funding had to be used by the end of June, which meant it could not be used to open the NZISF event on July 10-14. So it was decided to use the funded show to celebrate Matariki instead.

The artwork for the show will be created by Kāi Tahu creative storytellers Kitty Brown and Kirsten Parkinson, and will be supported with music by taoka pūoro performer Alistair Fraser.

"Matariki is about remembering our tupuna, gathering with our whānau and celebrating the natural environment, so we’ll be following these ideas in the show, as well as the all-important concept of getting outside and looking at the stars — drones or no drones," Ms Parkinson said.

"It’s pretty amazing to have the night sky as a canvas."

Mr Cousins said initially, it was hoped the show would take place over the upper Otago Harbour, but concerns over its effect on the local wildlife and traffic safety on the harbourside prompted organisers to move it to the University Oval at Logan Park.

He invited the community to bring picnics or visit night market food trucks from 5.30pm. The 10-minute show was expected to start about 6.30pm.

"We’re looking forward to seeing thousands of Dunedin people and their families enjoying the show, as well as people visiting the city for the long weekend."

Once the show was finished, he said the drones would remain in New Zealand.

"Because there are no drone fleets in New Zealand, they will stay in New Zealand and they will be available for hire by councils or anyone else who wants to hire them for shows around the country.

All organisers had to do now was cross their fingers and hope the weather would not be too windy, he said.

"If we were scared of bad weather, we would never run anything in Dunedin. So we’re going ahead and if we need to postpone it until later in the evening or until the next day, we will."

john.lewis@odt.co.nz