Kaikōura’s dark sky sanctuary status could be at risk if a proposed overhaul of the Resource Management Act goes ahead, the Kaikōura District Council warns.
The council passed new lighting rules in 2024, which led to the district obtaining international dark sky sanctuary status that September.
The primary motive was to protect local wildlife, including the iconic Hutton’s shearwaters, but it has helped to create year-round tourism and employment opportunities.
However, no provision has been made for light pollution in the proposed Planning Bill – the new legislation to replace the Resource Management Act.
The Planning Bill places an emphasis on national standards and limits community input.
"The exclusion of 'visual amenity' and landscape effects creates uncertainty about whether lighting controls required for dark sky accreditation remain clearly within scope,’’ the council’s submission said.
Under the proposed Resource Management Act replacement legislation, councils will have less local flexibility, making it harder for community-led initiatives like Kaikōura’s lighting rules.
Council staff proposed including a clause recognising night-sky protection and lighting management as "legitimate planning matters’" to remove the uncertainty.
Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust chairperson Lisa Bond said the sanctuary status relies on permanent legal protections.
"Without clear national direction that recognises natural darkness as something worth protecting, councils may not have the mandate to introduce or retain strong lighting controls.
"For Kaikōura, darkness is not just about astronomy. It is about ecology, about cultural connection, about wellbeing, and increasingly, about sustainable economic opportunity through astro-tourism."
'An incredibly simple fix'
Kaikōura astrotourism operator Brad McConville said losing the lighting provisions would put livelihoods at risk and hinder local conservation efforts.
"We like to operate within the sanctuary because it allows us to talk about the conservation.
"But there is an incredibly simple fix and if they don’t do it, it shows they don’t care."
McConville said he had engaged with several Government Ministers about the conservation, tourism and education efforts in the dark sky sanctuary.
Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith and South Island Minister James Meager had visited the district to see the work first-hand.
Dark sky advocate and science communicator Haritina Mogosanu, who is a regular visitor to Canterbury, said her Wairarapa business depended on the district’s dark sky reserve status.
"Our business is entirely based on the fact we are a dark sky place. People come here to look at the stars.
"We get people who come and can’t believe the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy is a thing they see, and not just an image created online."
Mogosanu said she was hopeful the omission was oversight, which would be corrected through engagement.
Risk of 'endless' policy reversals
Kaikōura council staff raised concerns the reforms will place a higher compliance and financial burden on councils, while a single Government Minister would have the power of veto over local planning rules.
It advocated for more local council input, or the appointment of a cross-party group to signoff local exceptions to avoid "endless" policy reversals.
"Decisions can be made nationally, but the financial and operational risks sit locally, and that seems unfair," the council’s policy planner Daniel Hirst said.
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop said he looked forward to hearing the submissions from affected councils and groups.
"The Planning Bill excludes effects such as how a building looks, its character, or its appearance.
"This is because matters like the direction of doors were holding up consents, and that should not be the case. However, light-spill effects may be managed as an effect under the new law.
"While the planning system is part of achieving the conditions for dark skies, I understand that operational decisions of councils such as the orientation and equipment used for streetlights have a more substantive impact on dark skies."
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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