Editorial: The sky's the limit for Whanganui

We can see clearly ... the Milky Way

WHANGANUI is cresting along on a wave of visitors, boosting accommodation providers and the local economy as a whole.

And now there may be another opportunity to swell those tourist statistics ... if we look upwards.

Among news items this week were reports that one-third of humankind can no longer see the Milky Way at night, such is the smog and light pollution enveloping them.

And that is bringing visitors to New Zealand, eager to escape their polluted skies and enjoy the heavenly bodies shining down on this part of the world.

NZ's night sky is "becoming one of our biggest attractions", said John Hearnshaw, professor at Canterbury University.

Having been outside a few times in the past weeks and marvelled at the sight of the star-splattered dome above Whanganui looking like Jackson Pollock had taken out his celestial paintbrush, I think we have something here to offer starved stargazers.

It was only a couple of months ago that local astronomer Ormond Warren was extolling the potential of Whanganui's Ward Observatory.

A former research associate at the Carter Observatory in Wellington, New Zealand's national observatory, Mr Warren wanted to see the Ward utilised as both a tourist attraction and an educational facility, and he called on the district council, which owns the facility, to pick up the baton.

The council may have more down-to-earth issues on its collective mind right now, but it would be good to hear a message: "Watch this space".

The Government certainly is, having this week put in place new regulations for space launches, with the astronautical Minister for Economic Development Steven Joyce wanting NZ to gear up for "the global space economy".

It might seem out of this world to have our own version of Nasa setting up here, but you never know ...

On the subject of stars, the week cannot be allowed to pass without tribute to Whanganui disability advocate Robert Martin, a battler and formidable character who made history in New York on Tuesday, becoming the first person with a learning disability to be elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

His proud supporter Dame Tariana Turia suggested a celebration in the River City to mark his achievement. What a lovely idea.