Hāwea resident Danny Mollan is spearheading an initiative to certify the township as a dark sky place to reduce light pollution and conserve the view of the stars and night sky into the future. 

Danny said the best way to appreciate the value of preserving the night sky locally is to “simply look up”.

“When you're out at night, just make a little habit of looking up at the sky and checking out what you can see. Even if you may not know the names, you start to recognise things… [and] become interested in what's above you.”

Hāwea is one of the places in the lower South Island which is uniquely well suited for becoming an official dark sky place.

“We have a view of the Southern Celestial Pole. We have incredibly dark skies. And we have a population base that's quite well spread out and not near any major cities,” Danny said.

“If you sort of look at those factors around the world, there's hardly anywhere like that. 

“I think this community and many others would like to see that preserved for current and future generations while we still have an opportunity to do that.

Read more: Reducing light pollution should be priority - local scientist

Danny said he has started “chipping away” at the process of formalising Hāwea as a dark sky place through the DarkSky International organisation.

Certified dark sky places must follow a set of guidelines to ensure that each place participates in actions and stewardship that improve the quality of the nightscape environment, and the application process requires a range of steps, including measuring how dark the skies really are using a tool called a sky quality meter.

Danny said it also requires generation of broad support for the idea so people are comfortable with the requirements, which included “sensible lighting plans”.

“[Applying for certification] is not really very complicated, but the groundwork itself is relatively time consuming,” Danny said. “I understand that the sort of average time that most communities take is about two years.”

Danny said he would have more time to work on the application when he finished with full-time work at the end of the year; he said he’s also had offers of help from community members.

Community support for dark sky certification in Hāwea has been highlighted by Shaping Our Future planning and Hāwea’s strategic plan, Danny said, and Queenstown Lakes District Council also already has memorandums of understanding with nearby dark sky groups in Glenorchy and Gibbston Valley.

Danny said interest in dark sky places is increasing, and he noted that New Zealanders have a strong link to the night sky.

"All of us, without exception, come from starfaring cultures. The original boats that brought anybody to New Zealand... got here via partially starfaring cultures, and that's true, irrespective of your background, both for Pākehā and for Māori.

“I think that's a precious link that we all share."

Listen: The Outlet podcast with Danny Mollan