University renews Mt John partnership with Earth & Sky

University of Canterbury renews Mt John partnership with Earth & Sky for another decade

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The University of Canterbury has signed a renewed lease which continues its long-standing partnership with Earth & Sky Ltd in astronomy at the University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory in Tekapo for another 10 years.

The University of Canterbury (UC) and Earth & Sky have been working closely together since 2005. The renewed lease signals a new phase in the partnership which provides the opportunity for the New Zealand public and international visitors to experience the magic of the night sky through UC’s scientific equipment.

The new phase puts the partnership on a secure and sustainable footing and ensures that the Mt John environment is better looked after for future scientists and visitors.

UC’s College of Science Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wendy Lawson, says that UC values the long-held relationships involved in the operation of the University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory.

“Our partnership with Earth & Sky has led to more than a million visitors to the summit of Mt John since the partnership began. Our continuing partnership will ensure that the special Mackenzie Country environment is cared for, and also that we are able to focus our activities appropriately at Mt John on our core business of teaching and research.

“We are pleased to be able to share the joy of engaging in science first-hand, through our relationship with Earth & Sky, with so many people and to see the joy and excitement of the science of discovery of the unknown,” Prof Lawson says.

Earth & Sky chairman Mr Graham Kennedy says there is an encouraging surge of interest in astronomy possibly associated with recent TV, movies and NASA’s ongoing achievements

“Our partnership with UC ensures visitors will continue to have access to a quality astro tourism experience, right here in New Zealand,” Mr Kennedy says.

The observatory is a key facility supporting teaching and research in astronomy, in which the University of Canterbury has a unique history and profile. The University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory is located in, and is a key feature of the “gold tier” Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, established in 2012.

The observatory was established in 1965. Its 50th anniversary was celebrated this year with Canterbury University Press’s publication of the bookMt John: The First 50 Years, and a symposium in Tekapo which attracted 80 national and international Mt John UC alumni and supporters.

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