As Masterton is gearing up to join the Dark Sky Reserve, and Carterton and South Wairarapa Districts are already basking in their dark skies, learn what’s in it for you. Join the next Dark Sky Business Capabilities course!
Sponsored by WellingtonNZ and Masterton District Council and delivered by Hari Mogoşanu and Sam Leske of Milky-Way.Kiwi the course offers a unique opportunity for local businesses to leverage the Wairarapa region’s accredited Dark Sky Reserve. This collaboration aims to enhance local tourism and economic development through the “Dark Skies Business Capability Course,” a programme running from April to September 2025.
This is the third course we facilitate, on demand, as the first two were sold out.
The course includes theory sessions, practical stargazing at Star Safari, and individual business site assessments. It will teach businesses how to incorporate dark sky elements, like optimal lighting and telescope positioning, into their offerings.
We also feature an array of speakers covering from business to Māori tikanga to how to sort our your lights.
Hari and Sam, who run Star Safari on Ponatahi Road, bring extensive expertise in how to run a business that incorporates stargazing, with backgrounds in astrobiology and astrophysics they are very knowledgeable about both telescopes and equipment, what’s in the sky and how to learn about it as well as the business side itself. Their own business also promotes night sky education across New Zealand and has strong connections with NASA.
The initiative supports the Regional Economic Development Plan and aims to replicate the success of other dark sky reserves by attracting tourists and boosting local spending. The course costs $75 per participant, with funding from WellingtonNZ and Masterton District Council.