New Zealand's Air Quality Improving, But Winter Smoke Still An Issue
Press Release – LAWA
When smoke from wood burners and coal fires builds up in calm, cold conditions, it can affect the health of whole communities. The good news is that monitored sites in most towns are now meeting national air quality standards for particulate matter
New data released today by LAWA (Land, Air, Water Aotearoa) shows that while air quality continues to improve in many parts of New Zealand, winter remains a period of elevated health risk. There is particular concern for towns where smoke from home heating becomes trapped near the ground during cold, still weather.
'Air quality in New Zealand has improved over time thanks to a combination of local and national action, but winter remains a challenge in many towns,' said Dr Chris Daughney, Chief Science Advisor for the collective of regional and unitary councils – Te Uru Kahika.
'When smoke from wood burners and coal fires builds up in calm, cold conditions, it can affect the health of whole communities.
'The good news is that monitored sites in most towns are now meeting national air quality standards for particulate matter (PM10) and continue to show improvements since monitoring began.
'However, most monitored places exceed international guidelines for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) which comes from combustion sources and poses significant health risks,' said Dr Daughney.
The LAWA Air Quality National Picture 2025 provides analyses of monitoring site data from regional and unitary councils across the country.
Although PM2.5is not yet regulated under New Zealand's National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NES-AQ), the National Picture outlines that 13 regions are now actively monitoring this harmful pollutant, and the number of monitored sites has increased in recent years.
In 2024, only three monitoring sites in New Zealand met both the daily and annual WHO guidelines for PM2.5. These were at Whareroa Marae in Mount Maunganui, Whangārei, and central Wellington. The 2021 WHO guidelines are stricter than previous guidelines and reflect growing understanding of the health impacts from long-term exposure to fine particles.
Dr Daughney said the results presented on the LAWA website reinforce the value of council monitoring networks.
'Although it is not yet regulated under a national standard, many regional and unitary councils are already monitoring the smaller PM2.5 particles to better understand local air quality and to prepare for future regulation. However, without a New Zealand-specific standard in place, it's a challenge for councils to justify further investment in monitoring equipment and analysis.
'The science is clear that reducing fine particulate matter pollution improves public health, especially for children, older adults, and those with respiratory conditions,' said Dr Daughney.
While winter conditions continue to present challenges, the LAWA Air Quality National Picture also highlights definite progress. There are improving air quality trends for 30 of the 44 long-term PM10 monitoring sites over the last 10 years and only 4 sites have seen a decline.
LAWA Air Quality Science Lead Teresa Aberkane explains that air quality is fascinating because it responds to human behaviour.
'Many places like Timaru, Tokoroa, and Kaiapoi have taken active steps to reduce winter emissions, and we're seeing those actions reflected in the data.
'That's the value of ongoing monitoring, when we measure and report, we can take steps to make a difference to the air we breathe,' said Ms Aberkane.
Many of these improvements are the result of sustained investment by councils in cleaner heating technology, community education, and local bylaws aimed at phasing out high emission burning. Transport choices also have a big impact on air quality and walking, cycling, and public transport are cleaner options than private vehicle use.
LAWA Chair Dr Tim Davie said everyone can play a role in cleaner winter air.
'The data shows we've made good progress. Now it's about staying on track and continuing to act where it matters most.
'With winter here, we're encouraging people to check their local air quality and take steps to minimise smoke. Avoiding lighting fires on still weather nights is best, but if people are going to use their log burner, then using dry, untreated wood with a clean burning technique can help reduce the amount of pollution into the local neighbourhood.
'We're pleased to make real-time air quality information available to New Zealanders for free on the LAWA website, alongside useful evidence-backed factsheets,' said Dr Davie.
Air quality information for 150 monitoring sites is available at www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/air-quality, along with practical tips on what households can do to help.
Further information
PM2.5 and PM10 are forms of air pollution measured in micrometres. PM2.5 poses greater health risks due to its ability to enter the lungs and bloodstream.
The World Health Organization's 2021 air quality guidelines are based on updated scientific evidence of health impacts from fine particulate matter.
The Ministry for the Environment has announced that the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NES-AQ) will be reviewed and updated by 2026 to include PM2.5.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
New Zealand's invisible children
Photo: janfaukner/123RF When Helen Clark's Labour government brought in a law that would create waves of undocumented children, even the immigration experts had no idea of the impact it would have on thousands of lives. The 2006 Citizenship Amendment Act ended automatic citizenship for children born here to overstayers or parents with temporary visas. It was also supported by the National party. Immigration lawyer Alastair McClymont has been working in the sector for more than 25 years, but only recently discovered the fallout from the law. "It never really occurred to me that this would actually be a problem," he says. "It was only really when these children started coming forward that I thought 'this is really unusual, I wonder how many other children are in this sort of situation'. "It is only recent because these children are now finishing high school and realising that their life has now come to an end, they don't have any options as to what to do." They are called 'the invisible children', says RNZ immigration reporter Gill Bonnett. They are mainly children of overstayers or temporary visa holders from Pacific countries, India or China. She's known about them for many years, but they have been hidden or protected by their parents and communities. "These people don't want to come forward because they are scared about the consequences of doing so and they don't want to speak up either in the media or necessarily don't want to put their case in front of immigration officials in case it means that they or their parents get deported." The case of Daman Kumar brought the issue to light, she says, when he bravely spoke to RNZ Asia reporter Blessen Tom two years ago . At the time, the teenager's voice was disguised and he went unnamed for fear that he would be deported to India, along with his parents. This year he hit the headlines and his identity was revealed when he was on the verge of deportation. "He'd been able to go to school okay but when it came to thinking about university or work he realised that he had nowhere to go," says Bonnett. To further complicate the matter, Kumar's sister was unaffected because she was born before the 2006 law, meaning she is legally a New Zealand citizen. And it is not unique to the Kumar family, Bonnett says. She explains to The Detail what was happening in New Zealand when the law was brought in, including the sense of moral panic. At the time Helen Clark said she was concerned about incidents of people flying to New Zealand for a short time and having babies here to ensure they gained passports, known as "birth tourism". Clark said the government would be silly not to look at this, given what other countries were doing. "They call it the 'anchor babies'," says Bonnett. "The idea that if your child had citizenship that later on in life you might be able to get citizenship yourself or that you would just be bestowing good privileges on them for later on." She says there were concerns on both sides of the ledger at the time, concerns on one side about birth tourism, where a child born on New Zealand soil would automatically get citizenship, and on the other side concerns about children who had lived here all their lives but didn't have citizenship. It is not clear how many children are undocumented, but McClymont says it could be thousands and the number will keep growing. "Every year now more and more children are going to be coming out of high school and realising that they can't study, they can't go and get jobs because it would be a breach of the law for employers to employ someone who's here unlawfully. So they can't work, they can't study, they can't travel, they just simply cannot do anything." McClymont says he has not had a satisfactory response from the government to his suggestion that New Zealand follow Australia and Britain by giving children birthright citizenship after 10 years of habitual residence. "Really, it's hard to see what the justification is for punishing these children. Nobody is making the argument that these children have done something wrong and that they deserve to be punished. "The only potential argument is that these children are being punished as a deterrent for others against having children here in New Zealand," he says. "It's just unfathomable as a society that we can actually do this to children and use them for this purpose. There doesn't seem to be any moral justification whatsoever for treating them so badly." Check out how to listen to and fol low The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Dogs attacks could lead to lack of guide dogs in South Auckland.
Blind Low Vision New Zealand is now reluctant to place guide dogs in South Auckland due to roaming dog attacks. File photo. Photo: 123RF Sight-impaired people living in the Southern Auckland could miss out on a guide dog after a savage attack on a handler and his guide dog. Blind Low Vision New Zealand said there had been several incidents, including a roaming dog attack last year that saw one of its clients taken to hospital and the guide dog relocated out of Auckland. It is now reluctant to place guide dogs in South Auckland. Blind Low Vision head of guide dogs Pete Hoskin told Checkpoint it was having a significant impact on the independence of their clients. "This has been an increasing problem over the last two years with no real trigger that we're able to put it down to, but what we're experiencing on a daily and weekly basis is a number of events that are causing us to redeploy our resources across different parts of Tamaki Makaurau." A handler and dog were attacked last year, he said. "He subsequently ended up being in hospital and as a result of the treatment had an allergic reaction to the medication. That was a result of the infection from the dog bite and subsequently spent eight weeks in the hospital requiring a couple of blood transfusions. "The dog still is working and is working very well, but that's not to say that if it was ever put in a situation where it was sprung by another dog, that it would be able to work effectively after that." He said the situation was made worse for clients, as they could not necessarily see or identify the risk before it was right before them. "The incidents that are occurring to able bodied people within Tamaki-Makaurau, one yesterday in the botanical gardens, a four-year-old killed a couple of months ago, they've got the benefit of being able to see and hear. "The vision impaired community don't have that benefit so they're not able to mitigate or minimise that risk." Clients who were deaf and blind were also vulnerable, he said. "[It] just exponentially creates that problem even further for them in the sense that they can't hear any dog approaching them." He said with trainers, there had been seven incidents related to roaming dogs. "Recently, we had one trainer [who] had two incidences in one week where other dogs have physically jumped out of moving vehicles down the main street and then chased them along the street where they've had to then jump into a shop." Blind Low Vision were now reluctant to place dogs in South Auckland, he said. "We do unfortunately have a client in South Auckland that we have said no to placing a dog to due to the severe risk of the environment that the community that the client is in." He said the person had already been attacked twice in the area, while walking with a guide dog. "With no reduction in the amount of dogs in that area and the increase in attacks in that area, that risk is too severe to place a dog." They were investigating potential solutions with AI, although it was in its infancy, he said. "I think there's a couple of things before technology. [We] fully support the release with the SPCA and the council around desexing. "We [also] strongly advocate for some personal accountability. As owners of these dogs, ensuring that their dogs are secure at all times, whether that's in a vehicle or in their home environment, to prevent them from getting out into the community and causing this chaos." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ Warriors take collective approach to replacing injured kingpin Mitch Barnett
Mitch Barnett is now waiting for his knee to stabilise, before undergoing surgery. Photo: Anthony Kourembanas/NRL Photos Warriors v Sharks Kickoff 7.30pm Saturday, 7 June Sharks Stadium Sydney Live blog updates on RNZ Sport NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster was warned his players not to try filling the void left by injured co-captain Mitch Barnett alone. Barnett's season is over, after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the 36-30 win over South Sydney last weekend, leaving a giant void in the pack, as the Auckland side seek to build on a promising 9-3 start to their NRL season. In his third season at Mt Smart, the inspirational front-rower has taken his leadership to a new level, while fellow skipper James Fisher-Harris was sidelined with a pec (chest) injury. Now an automatic State of Origin selection for New South Wales, Barnett and Fisher-Harris formed a one-two punch that is probably one of the best front-row combinations in the competition, but Webster stressed no one player could be expected to step into his place. "You can't try and be Mitch, or say we've all got to do extra," he said. "Once you start doing that, you start failing at your job - everyone's just got to do their job better. "Whatever your job description is as a player, you have to make sure you improve at that, rather than trying to add workload or different stuff to your game. Everyone agrees with that. "If you try and be Mitch, it won't work out. Everyone's just got to be themselves and find their own way to improve." That blueprint already exists. When Fisher-Harris was missing, Webster moved Marata Niukore into the middle of the park and Leka Halasima off the bench. He's named Jackson Ford to start against Cronulla Sharks this week - as he did in the next game after Fisher-Harris' injury - but don't be surprised if that changes. Webster admitted his loss is a major blow, but also another test of the programme's 'next up' mentality . The Warriors have already endured injuries to marquee players like Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, while continuing to juggle players through a depleted midfield. This one hits differently though, with the knowledge that Barnett will not be back this season. "There are mixed emotions," Webster admitted. "We want to celebrate Barney too, where he is in the game and what he's achieved for us at the club, playing Origin and for Australia, and finally getting in those circles that you want to be in as a player. "It's pretty heartbreaking, but Barney's been grateful for all the well-wishers he's got, particularly from his teammates and all around the world. "We're gutted, because he's such a good player, but there's optimism that somebody gets to stand up and take his spot and it's a challenge for the whole group." With scans confirming the extent of his injury, Barnett is now waiting for the injury to stabilise, before undergoing surgery. He has been around the team this week, as they prepare to take on the Sharks and now faces a different role than planned. "He was really good at training yesterday with his leadership stuff and talking to the boys about what they have to do next was very impressive," Webster said. "He's very frustrated and emotional about it, but sometimes life's not fair. We're all gutted for him, but he's a tough cookie, Mitch. "He's started that role already, mentoring and helping people. I think you'll find he initially needs to get his knee to the point where the operation can happen and we'll have to let him go for a little bit, then he'll start his rehab process and come back around the boys. "It's pretty raw at the moment, but we all know Mitch has a pretty good footy brain and loves mentoring people, so we'll just get a bit more of that, which is pleasing." Sometimes losing a key player can galvanise his teammates and elevate them to greater heights collectively. "He's been around the club and he's in good spirits," lock Erin Clark said. "We'll definitely miss his hard-nosed footy, his aggression and work ethic, but we're looking forward to the person who gets to step up and wear the jersey next to us. "No-one has to do anything more, maybe just do our job better, now that Barney's out. "He's definitely a smart footy player and, no doubt, he'll sit around with the coaches and help dissect other teams, and help us middles get better." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
