Residents mark dark sky sanctuary status with party under the stars

Kaikōura residents celebrated under the stars on the eve of the district becoming the newest international dark sky sanctuary in Aotearoa.

Mayor Craig Mackle joined around 40 people at Fyffe House on Wednesday night to celebrate the pending announcement, which was made by DarkSky International on Thursday.

He got to look at the moon through a telescope for the first time and said it was "mind-blowing".

Protecting Kaikōura's dark sky will provide social, economic and environmental benefits for the region, but Mr Mackle admits he wasn’t sold on the project at first.

‘‘When I first got wind of it I couldn’t see the point, but when you hear about the health implications and the impact on wildlife, you realise it is all interconnected.

‘‘On the environmental side, it is quite incredible the difference it makes and that’s just from turning your lights down.’’

Mr Mackle said the potential boost to tourism was an added bonus.

Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust chairperson Nicky McArthur said she was relieved to finally achieve dark sky status, after raising concerns for than a decade about the plight of the Hutton's shearwater / tītī birds, which crash land in the town due to the artificial light.

"The journey has been a collaborative effort involving our community, dedicated volunteers, environmental organisations and Government agencies, all of whom played a crucial role."

The project really kicked off in 2020 after the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) alliance provided seed funding to the community to set up a charitable trust, as a legacy project during the recovery from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016.

Since then, Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency and the council have been installing LED lights, which saved money as well as having environmental benefits.

After extensive community engagement, the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust prepared a private plan change to create new lighting rules in the Kaikōura District Plan2.

The new rules apply to new builds and when lighting needs to be replaced.

But local residents will not have to change their light bulbs immediately.

‘‘It is not like we are going to be living in the dark ages,’’ Mr Mackle said.

‘‘We can still have the lights on for sports events, we just need to manage it.’’

The Kaikōura District Council adopted and notified the private plan change earlier in the year.

As there were no objections, the new lighting rules are expected to become fully operative by the end of the year.

Kaikōura District Council chief executive Will Doughty has been involved in the project since he was a manager with NCTIR.

"It is fantastic to see the hard work and dedication of so many culminate in achieving accreditation."

DarkSky International vice president Nalayini Brito-Davies said the new designation is a testament to the dedicated efforts of the Kaikōura community over four years.

The next step for the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust is to apply for international dark sky community status for the town.

The Kaikōura district is the third dark sky sanctuary in New Zealand, after Rakiura Stewart Island and Aotea Great Barrier Island.

It is also the eighth dark sky site in New Zealand, including the Oxford dark sky park which was announced in January, and another step towards the goal of establishing a dark sky nation.

Dark sky advocates will be gathering in Tekapo from October 20 to 23 for the annual New Zealand Starlight Conference, where they will continue to raise awareness of protecting the night sky, with Tourism Minister Matt Doocey scheduled to speak.

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.