In any case - there is somewhat of a disconnect between international media saying "New Zealand does X!..." - broadly implying the cooperation and vision of an

In any case - there is somewhat of a disconnect between international media saying "New Zealand does X!..." - broadly implying the cooperation and vision of an entire country - and the reality on the ground, which is that the average New Zealander has neither heard nor cared much about the issue; with the vast majority of the NZ population living standard western lives in bright urban centres which by their very nature preclude astronomical suitability. What NZ does have - much like neighbour Australia has at larger scale, with it's endless barely-inhabited deserts - is large swathes of sparsely populated rural and semi-rural regions. And it's generally these which are lending themselves to this interest. Efforts to enhance and protect that status are just the icing on the cake.