Events

The events listed below are either hosted by the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve board, or are events of interest by other organisations around New Zealand and the world.

The New Zealand Starlight Conference in Tekapo, New Zealand will take place from 20 to 23 October 2024. The main theme of the Starlight Conference is "Dark Skies for All: a Call for Action!"

The conference is hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand and the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve board.

It will feature local and international experts across the range of disciplines involved in light at night and its effects. Topics include:

Action required to make legislators aware of the need for national legislation to curb light pollution.
Education on the benefits of darker skies for human health, for the environment, for astronomers and astrotourists, and for cost savings in power generation. The benefits also extend to combatting climate change by reducing electric power generation.
Highlighting cultural and aesthetic aspects of a pristine starry night sky and to promote interest in Māori astronomy and Matariki.
Energising all the communities in New Zealand aspiring to become dark sky places to help them work towards Dark Sky accreditation.
Further development of the concept of New Zealand as a Dark Sky Nation.