The Ruakaka township is within the Marsden Point airshed. The main contributors to air pollution in the Marsden Point airshed originate from industrial discharge, home heating, backyard burning in residential areas and agricultural emissions.
Marsden Point encompasses One Tree Point, Marsden Cove and Ruakaka communities as well as the Oil Refinery and NorthPort on the southern side of the Whangārei Harbour. The monitoring site in the Marsden Point airshed is located on Peter Snell Road at Bream Bay College, Ruakaka. The site is near Marsden Point Road, rural farmland and residential areas. Council monitors PM10 at this site. The main source of air pollution originates from industrial discharge, home heating, backyard burning in residential areas and agricultural emissions. The airshed also contains two industrial point sources, including New Zealand’s only oil refinery, which is a significant source of sulphur dioxide (SO2) discharge in Northland. The prevailing wind in this area carries emission from the refinery towards Whangārei Heads, a largely rural residential area.