All eyes on Naseby’s night sky
This year, Matariki coincides with the news that Naseby’s night sky will be protected as a result of a change to the Central Otago District Plan.
Community and Council working together has resulted in a new chapter being written into the district plan, a move that was approved at a meeting of the Central Otago District Council (CODC) today (Wednesday 26 June 2024).
The Council adopted Plan Change 22, which introduces the planning framework for mapping areas known as dark sky precincts, the first of which will be in Naseby. The new Dark Sky Precinct (DSP) covers the Naseby township and nearby rural land within the visual catchment of the town. The plan change specifically protects the quality of Naseby's dark skies through the establishment of lighting codes, local monitoring of compliant outdoor lighting codes, and increasing awareness of light.
Community development organisation Naseby Vision has been instrumental in pursuing the protection of the night sky from light pollution. The group has been working with the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) to achieve an “International Dark Sky Community” accreditation for Naseby. Former Naseby Vision member Jill Wolff, who is still involved in gaining the accreditation, heard the news of Council adopting the plan change whilst under another sky.
“I'm sitting in Bali at the moment, and strangely, it's helping to make the long journey toward dark sky accreditation a little easier and more meaningful. Whilst there is a lot of beauty here, it certainly isn't in their night sky. It reminds me not to take for granted the night sky beauty we have in Naseby and around Central Otago. And what a journey it's been, and still not over. We (Naseby Vision) started the process in 2016, so here's hoping we complete it before we hit the 10-year mark.”
If successful Naseby’s will be the first of its type in New Zealand. This differs from other IDA accreditations in New Zealand which are for ‘reserve’ and ‘sanctuary’ areas that do not have urban development and will be the second community accreditation in the southern hemisphere (Niue is the first). New DSPs can be established over time in other locations across the district once the framework is in place.
“As many things do, it all started with a few casual conversations. Those conversations turned to ideas and then a solid project after a visit from two DarkSky International representatives who were "blown away" with our beautiful dark skies. Needless to say, we had no idea what we had ahead of us. Naivety at its best, and just as well I think. We might have jumped ship early on if we'd known.”
With outdoor lighting policies “not really a thing” in New Zealand yet, Naseby Vision was fortunate in having great support from CODC Principal Policy Planner Ann Rodgers and the planning team, Ms Wolff said, and meant “we tick another box on our journey to accreditation”.
“It's difficult at this stage to fully understand what the benefits of accreditation will mean to Naseby. As locals we take care of our night sky now, but with a lighting policy and accreditation we can also be confident that the night sky will be protected well into the future. Immediate benefits are astro-tourism and astro-photography, with this providing flow-on benefits for existing businesses. The importance of natural darkness for nocturnal conservation and healthy living provides other opportunities yet to be tapped into.
“And the other wonderful thing is that Plan Change 22 has been written with the intent of being able to spread night sky protection and opportunities across Central Otago when the time is right. So Naseby's journey is just 'one small step', as someone said way up there in the night sky many years ago. We look forward to everyone joining us for our celebration in the not-too-distant future.”
Chair of the Hearings Panel, Neil Gillespie, said that the adoption of this Plan Change was unique and probably not an outcome that the Resource Management Act contemplated back in 1991, and congratulated Naseby Vision for its vision.
“Who would have thought that protecting our skies was something that our community thought would be important enough for them to champion the changes that are now incorporated in our District Plan. It also goes to show how influential the community can be in effecting changes that are important to them.”
Twelve original submissions and no further submissions were received. Ten submissions were in support, one in support with requested amendments and one neutral submission.
A summary of the submission can found in the report on Let’s Talk: Plan Change 22 - LIGHT (Dark Sky) | Let’s Talk Central Otago (codc.govt.nz)
The Council will publicly notify the decision of the Hearings Panel. This will put the framework in place that will allow Naseby Vision to pursue the application for IDA accreditation and enable other precincts to be developed over time.
It will also protect the night skies for future generations and could lead to the development of astro-tourism opportunities across the district as additional precincts are added.
There will be an appeal period of 30 working days.