Dark Sky Reserve status could extend to Masterton

Masterton District Council [MDC] has signalled its preference to join the existing Dark Sky Reserve in Carterton and South Wairarapa.

The topic will be out for consultation as part of MDC’s Annual Plan process. The council met earlier this month to discuss the wording in the Annual Plan consultation document.

A Dark Sky Reserve is public or private land where the quality of starry nights and the nocturnal environment are “exceptional”, and those qualities are specifically protected for cultural, environmental, educational, or scientific purposes.

In January, the Carterton and South Wairarapa districts were granted Dark Sky Reserve status by the International Dark-Sky Association. Both councils have outdoor lighting regulations in place to

Ockhams award for firsttime authors, said she was delighted “to be in the company of such brilliant writers” on both the short and long list. Among these were decorated Kiwi wordsmiths Kate Camp and Dame Fiona Kidman, whose memoirs Grand beat for a spot in finals.

“I didn’t want to expect anything. I’ve been through the process several times before with media awards – it’s always subjective, and you can’t predict what they’re looking for,” McCarthy said.

“You have to be realistic, but you always hope you’ll do well!

“I feel so lucky and honoured. All the feedback I’ve received for Grand has been wonderful – and overwhelming. I wrote it at home in Featherston, starting on an A4 refill pad from Whitcoulls. It was my story, and now it’s almost got nothing to do with me – the story belongs to everyone who has read it.”

McCarthy was born and raised in Cork, Ireland’s second-largest city, and relocated to Auckland in her twenties.

There, she began her career in broadcasting: Hosting overnight talkback segments on Newstalk ZB, then spending eight years as a producer and presenter for RNZ.

In 2017, she and husband John Daniell founded their podcast creation company, Bird of Paradise Productions, which has produced content for national media platforms – including the Voyager Media Awardwinning “Getting Better”, produced by McCarthy and then trainee doctor Emma Espiner.

McCarthy is currently the 2023 Writer in Residence at Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters – a creative writing programme known for producing some of the country’s leading contemporary writers.

While at Victoria University, she will deliver presentations to postgraduate students and help to mentor aspiring writers – as well as having mostly uninterrupted space to work on her second book.

“I’ve never had the space just to write. While writing Grand, I was working full-time and looking after my daughter – so I’d take notes wherever I could around the house.

“At Victoria, I’ve actually got my own desk! Virginia Woolf was right: ‘A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write.’”

McCarthy’s newest work is inspired by her love of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and delves into the enduring pop cultural impact of the vampire character.

“I picked up Dracula when I was 14, and I couldn’t put it down – it sucks you in and doesn’t let go. It’s shaped my life ever since,” she said.

“I feel like Count Dracula still walks alongside me. There’s so much to unpack about the force vampires exert in literature. What makes them so compelling, dangerous and seductive?” protect against light pollution, which can have detrimental effects on both wildlife and human health.

As if life wasn’t busy enough – McCarthy will shortly start work on a new long-form podcast, to feature on The Spinoff later this year.

In June, she will return to Ireland to celebrate the release of Grand in her home country.

Dark Sky Reserves also open up economic opportunities – with the Aoraki-McKenzie region enjoying a tourism boom since it was granted Dark Sky Reserve status in 2012.

Initially, the wording in MDC’s consultation document specified the council would set aside $20,000 from existing economic development budgets to support a Dark Sky Reserve if the community wanted the project to go ahead. After discussion, it was decided a monetary figure not be included and that the emphasis would be placed on external funding opportunities and volunteer contributions.

The alternative option is that MDC does not undertake any work to join the existing Dark Sky Reserve.

Deputy Mayor Bex Johnson said she supported the initiative but would rather external funding opportunities be explored rather than the council putting aside $20,000.

“This is an opportunity that benefits the whole region; there will be philanthropic entities that would want to support this.”– NZLDR • Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air