A brighter view of the stars in Castle Hill
Selwyn District Council media release: 27th January 2026
An innovative system to turn down the lights could bring a huge tourism boost to the Selwyn high country.
The Selwyn District Council is installing a new lighting control system in Castle Hill Village to support the area becoming a dark sky sanctuary. The new technology is expected to be installed by the end of May 2026.
It is estimated a dark sky accreditation could bring in up to $13.5 million a year of visitor spending to the high country, Council Executive Director Community Services and Facilities Denise Kidd says.
“This is a huge opportunity to make the most of our stunning high-country landscape and its amazing view of the stars. Dark skies are a growing attraction – we’ve seen through Tourism New Zealand that 70 percent of people visiting New Zealand are interested in star gazing experiences. This innovative technology is a key step to start on making the most of that.”
Exploring dark sky accreditation for the high-country area around Arthur’s Pass and Kura Tawhiti Castle Hill was supported by Arthur’s Pass and Castle Hill Village residents and businesses through the Long-Term Plan 2024-2034 and is part of the Council’s Kai Aku Rika Economic Development Strategy, which was adopted last year.
Technology company Felicity Smart Infrastructure NZ is supplying the wireless control system, while the Council, as agreed through the Long-Term Plan, will be funding the $50,000 to upgrade the existing streetlights in Castle Hill Village with new control hardware.
The control system will allow the Council to control the brightness and the times streetlights operate, along with an AI system that can make adjustments based on the amount of traffic coming and going, to maintain road safety and maximise nighttime views.
The Council will be working with Castle Hill residents in the coming months on how they would prefer the lighting system to be implemented.
“It’s exciting to see how the trial goes, with the potential for this technology to help with dark sky accreditation and energy savings to further reduce costs in other places around the district,” Mrs Kidd says.
Felicity New Zealand Sales Manager Soren Damsgaard says the company will be working closely with contractors and the Council to help make the trial a success.
“We are excited to get this project underway. Across our New Zealand projects, we have seen how intelligent, traffic-responsive lighting can cut wasted energy and carbon emissions by 40 percent, while still keeping people safe on the roads. Castle Hill builds directly on that experience - it’s another step in a wider shift towards smarter, cleaner and more community-focused streetlighting.”