Council supports Dark Sky request

Our Council has agreed to write a letter of support for a Catlins Dark Sky Reserve initiative.

This will support an application to give International Dark Sky Park status for an area centred around the Purakaunui Recreation Reserve in the Catlins.

Dark Sky status protects the night sky from light pollution and conserves an area’s cultural, scientific, natural, or educational values.

At the meeting on Thursday 20 August 2026, the Clutha District Council was briefed on this community-led project and its aims.

Councillors are supportive of the project and interested in the process of achieving Dark Sky status.

“When you look at the visitor numbers elsewhere in the country (to Dark Sky reserves), I’m fully in support of providing a letter of support,” Cr Bruce Graham says.

“This group are not ‘fly-by-nighters’. They have definitely shown a commitment to this project.”

The Catlins Dark Sky initiative working group was initially formed under the umbrella of Owaka Going Forward as a result of expressions of interest from some locals to investigate the possibility of the Catlins becoming an International Dark Sky Reserve.

The group has been engaging with Dark Sky International since 2023 to understand the certification requirements for Dark Sky Park status as an achievable and a manageable first step before seeking International Dark Sky status.

In the past three years, the group has obtained three sky quality meters to measure night sky quality, undertaken regular sky monitoring, talked to Council staff about existing policies and engaged with other New Zealand Dark Sky organisations for feedback.

The working group is now completing the final requirements for certification as a Dark Sky Park.

Providing a letter is a requirement of the application and acknowledges councils’ support and recognition of the potential environmental, community and economic benefits associated with achieving Dark Sky Park status.