Move to protect Waiheke Island's starry skies

Monday, 5 March 2018

Stars shine brightly in Waiheke Island's dark skies, which could soon be protected.

Waiheke's night skies are still dark enough to see the stars and island groups want to keep it that way.

An application for Waiheke to gain International Dark-sky Association accreditation will soon by made by Waiheke Local Board.

Accreditation would highlight the island's lack of light pollution and help protect dark night skies for future generations, Waiheke resident Nalayini Davies from Dark-sky New Zealand told the board.

Research shows bright lighting at night is harmful to human health and impacts on wildlife, Davies said.

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Nalayini Davies is keen to see Waiheke Island's night skies protected from light pollution.

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'Light pollution is the only form of pollution that can be minimised at the switch of a button.

'People will be encouraged to participate in this island-wide conservation initiative.

'Let's keep it dark because the island's got that beauty still and we don't want to lose it,' she said

Great Barrier Island was accredited as a Dark Sky Sanctuary last year.

Waiheke meets current criteria for Dark Sky Park accreditation, but might not meet new standards that are about to be introduced, Davies said.

She urged the local board to begin the free application process for accreditation before it's too late.

The move would not prevent new lights being installed, but involves educating the community about the importance of avoiding excessive lighting, using timers and installing low impact lighting where possible.

It would help the island set a local standard for lighting that is provided by Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, Davies said.

Local board member Shirin Brown put forward the motion asking the board to apply for dark sky status.

Light pollution has become more of a problem on the island in the past year as new forms of lighting emerge, she said.

'It's a positive thing to get people thinking about the value of the night sky and the part we all play in keeping light pollution down in our businesses and homes,' Brown said.

Piritahi Marae, Ngati Paoa Iwi Trust, the Department of Conservation and several island community groups support the plan to protect Waiheke's night skies.

Hauraki Islands Forest and Bird chairperson Jonah Kitto-Verhoef said artificial lights can have harmful effects on birds and plants.

'It would be superb to do what we can to maintain our ecosystems in as natural a state as possible,' Kitto-Verhoef said.