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[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Austin reaches for (Tekapo) stars

By MATTHEW LITTLEWOOD - The Timaru Herald | 5:00AM - Wednesday, 21 July 2010

WHEN MARGARET AUSTIN packs her bags for Brazil tomorrow, she will be thinking of the stars.

The former cabinet minister and chancellor for Lincoln University will be part of a New Zealand delegation at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) world heritage meeting in Brasilia.

The delegation will put the Mackenzie district's case to Unesco, and should it be accepted, it will be able to apply to have its night sky classed as a world heritage reserve. "It has been five long years to get to this point, and there is at least another 18 months to go, but the interest has been phenomenal," she said.

"There is something quite special about our night sky. It is worth considering that in nearly 50 per cent of the world, people can no longer see the stars at night."

Mrs Austin first heard about the idea in 2005 when she was chairwoman of the National Commission for Unesco in New Zealand. Since then, she has been involved in "countless" meetings and conversations trying to promote the idea. Delegations from Spain, Chile, Hawaii and Australia have also expressed interest in having their night skies declared as world heritage reserves.

"It is a different concept because, traditionally, we think of heritage sites as monuments, but there is so much international interest in this bid. It's been a long process. There have been times when I've moved from elation to frustration and back to elation again, as we work through the international guidelines."

Tekapo is home to Mount John Observatory, home to the country's biggest telescope, which measures 1.8 metres across.

"My background is in biology rather than astronomy. Yet when you look through the telescope at Mount John, and see the rings around Saturn, it is quite an astonishing experience," Mrs Austin said.

Mount John Observatory site manager Alan Gilmore said there was an increasing interest in astronomy within the last decade.

Mr Gilmore, who looks after the day-to-day running of the observatory on behalf of Canterbury University, said the fact that the Mackenzie District Council instituted light ordinance levels in the Tekapo region nearly two decades ago had been a huge benefit.

"The sky is a really dynamic place. You can see how fascinated school children are by it when the observatory takes class trips. I think the idea of the night sky as a world heritage reserve is an idea whose time has come, and if anyone is going to be able to convince Unesco, it would be Margaret," he said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/3938651/Austin-reaches-for-Tekapo-stars