By Natasha Chortos, DarkSky
NASEBY, New Zealand — DarkSky International is proud to announce Naseby as New Zealand’s first International Dark Sky Community, joining a network of Dark Sky Places across the country and a growing movement dedicated to protecting New Zealand’s dark skies and unique cultural heritage.
This recognition marks the culmination of years of grassroots effort, initiated by a passionate group of local residents who envisioned preserving the pristine night skies above their town. Their commitment, alongside support from the Central Otago District Council (CODC), has now placed Naseby on the global map as a leader in night sky conservation.
“The people of Naseby have put in a tremendous amount of effort into achieving the first International Dark Sky Community certification for the nation of New Zealand. The country is already a leader for dark skies in many ways, and we at DarkSky International are confident that more communities like Naseby will come to attain this certification and continue the push for greater lighting policies throughout the country,” says International Dark Sky Place Program Manager Amber Harrison.
Naseby became established during the gold rush of the mid 1800’s. Its population reached a peak of around 4,000 miners in the 1860’s, with stores, hotels and even a hospital to serve the community. Many of the town centre’s buildings have been preserved, giving something of the air of visiting a movie set. It now has an estimated permanent population of around 150 with that number growing to around 3,000 over the summer season.
Sitting at an elevation of 610 metres, or 2,000 feet, above sea level, or as they say in Naseby – 2,000 feet above worry level, the settlement covers 0.86 km2, and is surrounded by Central Otago’s only true area of working forest, with tracks and trails to explore. It also has New Zealand’s only dedicated international standard indoor curling rink, plus an ice luge, ice rink and downhill summer luge bringing visitors to town year-round.
The journey began in 2016 when Naseby Vision, a local community development group, had some early discussions with John Barentine of Dark Sky Consulting to explore the possibility of accreditation. By 2018, the community had conducted extensive night sky quality surveys and gained public support. However, the path to certification proved more complex than anticipated. Central Otago’s lighting regulations required significant revision, prompting CODC to initiate a comprehensive District Plan Change in 2021 in order to allow the establishment of dark sky precincts and govern light use.
“When we began, we had no idea how intricate this process would be,” said Jill Wolff, project lead for Naseby Vision. “The Council’s community development and planning teams were incredibly supportive and committed to getting it right so that we could proceed with our application when the time was right.”
Following public consultation and hearings, Plan Change 22 was adopted in October 2024, officially protecting Naseby’s skies from light pollution and paving the way for the final application to be resubmitted—and approved.
Community wide engagement has been key to the town achieving accreditation as a Dark Sky Community. This is a significant point of difference from other Dark Sky locations in New Zealand. Community participation, stewardship and awareness of the pristine night sky is embedded in the culture of its residents thereby ensuring that protection of these values will continue well into the future. Already underway are projects such as the purchase of a community telescope and other stargazing tools, with more to come as funding allows.
Antz Longman, Head of Destination at Tourism Central Otago, praised the community’s achievement. “We must congratulate the people of Naseby for leading the charge in protecting our region’s night skies. With Central Otago already identified as a prime location to view the next full solar eclipse in July 2028, there’s no better place to experience it than a town that has embraced and safeguarded its exceptional night sky vista’s.”
The accreditation is already inspiring new tourism ventures, including Paul Bishop’s Naseby Night Sky Tours, and expanding creative and educational programs like “Winterstellar”. Longman added “This is just the beginning. The Central Otago Destination Management Plan which captures the views of the region’s communities, recognised the importance of protecting our night skies. We expect other communities across the district will follow Naseby’s lead.”
Naseby, the first International Dark Sky Community in New Zealand, is the place to view New Zealand’s pristine night sky. The community of Naseby will continue spreading the word on how important and accessible the dark sky is in Naseby. They will also continue to monitor the local planning ordinances on dark sky protection and ensure that they are followed for the good of the community. Wolff concludes, “It feels good to know you’ve put something this important in place for the community and future generations.”
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