New Zealand gains third dark sanctuary

New Zealand is one celestial step closer to its goal of becoming only the second “dark sky nation” in the world after Niue, in the South Pacific, was granted the designation in 2020. It comes after the coastal town of Kaikoura, on the country’s South Island, was granted International Dark Sky Sanctuary status this month by DarkSky International, becoming New Zealand’s third such zone and the 22nd globally.

Offering some of New Zealand’s most breathtaking natural landscapes, the Kaikoura sanctuary will cover nearly all of the local district — or roughly 2,000 sq km. Over half of the area is protected by the country’s department of conservation. As well as its exceptional stargazing potential, Kaikoura is the last breeding place on Earth of the endangered Hutton’s shearwater seabird.

Nicky McArthur, of the Kaikoura Dark Sky Trust, said: “There are multiple benefits of preserving the natural darkness of our night sky, not only significant ecological benefits but it also contributes to the conservation of energy through the use of efficient lighting solutions and provides many human health benefits.”

The sanctuary status is part of a wider plan to make the township of Kaikoura and surrounding area an International Dark Sky Community, the trust said. According to the National Geographic, nearly 75 per cent of night skies in the North Island and more than 90 per cent in the South Island are deemed “pristine or degraded only near the horizon.”

“Looking at the sky and connecting to it sits at the heart of humanity,” said Rangi Mātāmua, an astronomer and professor of Maori history at Massey University in Auckland.

The other dark sky sanctuaries in New Zealand are Aotea Great Barrier Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura.