Tasman region

Tasman’s air story
Air quality in Tasman is generally good except during cold and still weather conditions which can occur during the winter. The main urban area of Richmond is most prone to reduced air quality and is located at the head of Tasman Bay and is flanked by hills. The hills deflect much of the prevailing wind and as a result Richmond's weather is characterised by low wind speeds and calm conditions which usually occurr during winter and often last days or weeks on end. During the winter period most air particulate discharges come from home heating fires such as enclosed wood and/or coal burners (smoke). Where still conditions occur the smoke builds up until the weather conditions change and the wind speed rises. Other sources of particulates include industrial processes such as boilers, motor vehicles, rural burnoffs and from natural sources such as airborne sea salt and dust particles.
The particulates from this smoke (and from sea salt, dust and cars) are known as PM10 and these tiny particles can get deep in to our lungs and cause health issues for some people.
We all have a role to play in achieving cleaner, healthier air to breathe and Tasman District Council has been working with the community to improve air quality. We’ve seen significant improvements since the early 2000s.
Tasman has one air quality management area (airshed) within the Richmond Urban area and has a permanent PM₁₀ monitoring station located there. You can find information for the current monitored sites here and see how it compares from year to year against the national guidelines.
Annual average PM₁₀ concentrations in other parts of Tasman District are below national guidelines. During still, cold days in winter, daily average PM₁₀ concentrations can exceed national guidelines.

The National Environmental Standards require no more than one day per year when the measured PM₁₀ is greater than 50 ug/m³ by 2020.