First IDA Sanctuary in New Zealand

With little development pressure and nearly 60% of its territory under the management of the New Zealand Department of Conservation as a nature reserve, GBI has retained essentially all of its natural nighttime darkness. Those conditions are protected by the Island’s separation from the mainland by the Hauraki Gulf and the absence of utility electricity to power outdoor lighting. A typically dark night sky has become part of the cultural values of Islanders, as they gradually become aware of the potential astrotourism value of maintaining the integrity of the Island’s largely pristine nightscapes. Islanders now wish to formalize the kinds of practices they have voluntarily observed for decades, elevating the dark night skies over GBI to a status worthy of formal protection under policies pursued by the governing Auckland Council.