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1384 days ago

Auckland's Waiheke Island seeks Dark Sky sanctuary status

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

Waiheke Island groups are wishing on a star to keep the Milky Way clearly in their sight.

The Waiheke Local Board is finalising an application for International Dark-Sky Association accreditation to protect the island’s nightscape, which is heaven for stargazers.

The request, expected to be submitted by May, is backed by Dark-sky New Zealand, Piritahi Marae, Ngati Paoa Iwi Trust, the Department of Conservation and several community groups on the island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.

Accreditation would highlight the island’s lack of light pollution and help protect dark night skies for future generations, Waiheke resident Nalayini​ Davies, from Dark-sky New Zealand, told the board.

She said visitors flocked to Waiheke to see the beaches and vineyards but the accreditation could spark a gradual shift towards eco-tourism and sustainability.

“If people come to look at the starry skies, it’s a different kind of people than the 20-somethings that have come here for a hen party.”

Research shows bright lighting at night is harmful to human health and impacts on wildlife, Davies said.

“Turtles come to the shore to lay their eggs and the baby turtles, when they hatch, use moonlight to navigate their way back to the ocean,” she said.

“If there are artificial lights on the shore, they get disoriented, don’t go to the ocean, and they get caught by predators.”

The beauty of the conservation initiative is that light pollution is the easiest type to control, she said.

“If we collectively switch our lights off there’s no light pollution.”

The board is working with the Waiheke Dark Skies Group on the application to establish a Dark Skies Park for eastern Waiheke and, if successful, might develop the concept across the island.

Davies said Auckland Transport had done its bit for conservation by replacing all the street lights in eastern Waiheke to 3000K LEDs at their own cost and had “made sure they were at zero tilt”.

This reduces sky glow and the effect on human melatonin production.

“They [Auckland Transport] are working their way slowly through west Waiheke as step two,” she said.

If successful, Waiheke will follow Great Barrier Island as the next bright star of New Zealand’s dark skies.

In 2017, Aotea/Great Barrier Island was named the world’s third Dark Sky Sanctuary, and the first island sanctuary, an honour it now shares with Rakiura/Stewart Island.

Photographs: Supplied: Mikey Mackinven: Waiheke Island's dark skies.

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5 hours ago

Riddle Alert! Who’s Up for Some Brain-Busting Fun?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

4-letter word, always done tomorrow,
We’re out of tea, the ultimate sorrow!
Without the eye, you owe me some money,
No sugar no nectar no sweetness no honey,
4-letter word, if by chance you choose,
You can never win, you can only lose!
What is the 4-letter word?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

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4 days ago

Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.

When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?

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Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
  • 82.4% Yes
    82.4% Complete
  • 14.9% No
    14.9% Complete
  • 2.7% Other - I'll share below
    2.7% Complete
1608 votes
2 days ago

Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.

John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!

As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!

John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.

Share your question below now ⬇️

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