Government funding is being sought to make Lake Tekapo's bid to become one of the world's first night-sky reserves successful.
A newly-formed working party, involving the Mackenzie Tourism and Development Trust, has confirmed its intention to pursue New Zealand's first starlight reserve in the Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook region.
"We are going to ask for funding and support from the Government and local authority to cover expected costs in the future," chairwoman and former Cabinet minister Margaret Austin said yesterday.
"The importance of recognising and protecting the night-sky as a renewable resource and part of the cultural heritage is crucial to this area and to New Zealand.
We are very good at promoting tourism in daylight in this country and we need to be just as successful at night to double our business," she said.
The working party plans to keep the local Mackenzie community informed and involved.
Government ministers will be contacted with assistance from the Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean.
The working party will continue to work closely with the starlight reserve project of the UNESCO world heritage group.
Tekapo was being promoted as a mixed site with nature and biodiversity, exceptional landscapes, cultural aspects, tourism, astronomy and a quality night sky.
Mt John above the Tekapo township is considered one of the most accessible observatories in the world.
The observatory is home to six telescopes and can observe any of 50 million stars on a clear night.
It is hoped the dream of a starlight reserve with international status will become a reality if the World Heritage Committee accepts the thematic study at their conference in Rio de Janeiro next year.
Tekapo tourism businessman Graeme Murray, a major driving force behind the project, said it would be a positive result for New Zealand and the district to have the Mt John observatory and the Lake Tekapo area confirmed as one of the world's first starlight reserves.
