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The GB Weekly - 25 October 2024

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Friday 25 October 2024

Call to defend dark sky

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Kane Hartill's image of Golden Bay's night sky. Campaigners are calling for Kahurangi National Park to be designated a Dark Sky Sanctuary. File photo. ALISTAIR HUGHES

Golden Bay resident Gordon Mather believes we should all be more starry-eyed, not just for those of us who want to appreciate the world’s best night sky, but for the mental and physical well-being of all creatures. On behalf of the Mohua/Golden Bay U3A Astronomy Group and Friends of Golden Bay, Gordon presented a case to the Community Board last month for designating Kahurangi National Park as a Dark Sky Sanctuary. “This is a large area almost entirely free from artificial light, apart from brief periods required for essential human activities”, he explains. The assumption usually made is that Dark Sky sanctuaries, reserves and parks are only for the benefit of astronomers, but Gordon emphasises that the benefits are very farreaching. “We have only relatively recently become aware of the extent to which light pollution impacts all life forms. Virtually all species have a natural day-and-night alternating rhythm

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THE GB WEEKLY, FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER 2024

built into their DNA, and if you disrupt that by destroying the night, the physiological impact can be negative and even deadly. For humans, it's now acknowledged that this is having an impact on mental health. It's real, and not something that we can ignore.” In conjunction with others in the Top of the South Dark Sky Committee, he will be taking readings which record the brightness of the night sky at key locations on the National Park perimeter and also within. “When we've got sufficient data, this will be submitted to the International Dark Sky Association for their approval to recognise that this is a suitable area to be designated a sanctuary.” The initiative already enjoys support from local community groups and iwi, and seeks commitment from Tasman District Council, hoping they will acknowledge the associated issue of light pollution from street lamps, as Nelson District Council has. “It's our backyard, and we should treasure it,” adds Gordon. “Kahurangi is a significant

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chunk of our land mass, our second largest national park, and actually has the greatest biodiversity of any region in New Zealand. The hugely diverse geology of this area means it also has certain endemic native plants which can’t be found anywhere else. So from a biological perspective, it's really important that there's no disruption to these life forms.” He concedes that gathering the information will take time, weather and lunar phases need to be considered, and even the recent solar storm activity producing views of the aurora has caused higher light intensity readings than desired. “There's a lot of work to be done, but we would love to get to the point where New Zealand becomes a dark sky nation. Our ancestors experienced a night sky that inspired science, religion, philosophy, art and literature. Astro-tourism is growing steadily and now a lot of people are prepared to travel the world to seek out dark areas where they can actually see the night sky. We need to do all we can to actively protect it.”

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Golden Bay is gearing up for a busy Labour Weekend with plenty to see and do for residents and visitors alike. Kicking off the weekend, appropriately, is the Mussel Inn Masters football tournament at the Rec Park, which promises two full days of back-to-back action plus plenty happening on the sidelines. On Sunday evening players will rest tired legs and celebrate with the crowd when the tournament wraps with prizegiving. Those who want to test their sea-legs and sailing chops should head down to Pōhara Boat Club at Port Tarakohe for a Sailing Open Day. From 12-3pm on Sunday, everyone is welcome to go along and “give it a go” regardless of age and ability. From the great outdoors to some great indoor retail therapy for bargain hunters: On Saturday between 9am and 2pm bookworms should make a beeline for Motupipi Hall where there will be books galore for sale at the Book Fair. At the other end of the Bay, Pākawau Memorial Hall is hosting its Annual Market Days on both Saturday and Sunday 10am1pm. With a variety of stalls and car boots, there’s sure to be something for everybody. Ar t lovers are spoiled with the opportunity to view a collection of exquisite work at the Golden Bay Stitch and Quilt Group Annual Show in Collingwood Memorial Hall which is open 10am–4pm every day over the long weekend. The other annual art show running this weekend – and beyond – is Bay Art, a showcase for the Bay’s talented creatives. The exhibition is open every day 10am– 4pm at Golden Bay High School main hall. No public holiday would be complete without a trip to Rockville Museum with its fascinating working machines, historical collections and working forge, not to mention the famous scones and snacks available from the Pioneer Kitchen. Continued on page 2

ISSN (PRINT) 2538-0923 ISSN (ONLINE) 2538-0931

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