The key personnel at Dark Sky NZ are also the key personnel of the award-winning international economic development consultancy Vinstar (www.vinstar.com) and they are:
Nalayini Davies
A committed advocate for Dark Skies and an enthusiastic astronomer, Nalayini has maintained a home in the Hauraki Gulf islands for thirty years. She is vice president of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand (RASNZ); a member of the Auckland Astronomical Society (AAS); chair of Astronz (a charity established by AAS to make astronomy more accessible to New Zealanders); a board member of the Australasian Dark Sky Association (ADSA); and a member of the Awards Committee of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA).
She contributes articles, regular book reviews and astronomer interviews for the AAS Journal and writes a monthly Starwatching column for the Waiheke Weekender. Nalayini holds a masters degree in astronomy from Swinburne University in Melbourne, and her study of Aotea / Great Barrier Island’s night skies culminated in her nominating it for IDA Sanctuary status.
Gareth Davies
Gareth is an experienced outreach and night brightness measurement specialist and has a large and varied collection of telescopes. He has undertaken outreach and night brightness measurement activities across the length and breadth of New Zealand including in the Waitakere Ranges, on Great Barrier Island, on Waiheke Island, on Stewart Island, on Chatham Island and in Fiordland. He is a regular astronomy podcaster and has spoken on a number of occasions on the radio regarding the impact of light pollution and the importance of keeping it under control. A member of Auckland Astronomical Society, a member of the International Dark Sky Association and a founder member of Dark Sky Waiheke Island, Gareth still keeps a small home in Wales’s first Dark Sky Reserve in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Justin C. Le Grice
With more than 20 years’ experience in the IT industry, Justin is a space and science fiction aficionado and an enthusiastic stargazer. Dark Sky NZ’s initiatives are founded on a strong understanding of astronomy linked to the latest technological developments in the areas of darkness measurement with integrated global positioning. It is by harnessing these latest technologies that Justin has played key role in ensuring the work undertaken by the Dark Sky NZ assessment team is fast, effective and most importantly, accurate. Justin continues to work with the assessment team to ensure Dark Sky NZ remains abreast of the latest technological innovations and continues to apply them in its chosen field.
