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Tasman region

Air Quality

Air quality in Tasman is generally good except during cold still nights when air particulates get trapped and build up. Tasman has one permanent air quality monitoring site.  

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.

Regional Summary
PM10and PM2.5at towns in this region

The most significant air pollutant in New Zealand are small airborne particles in our air (known as particulate matter). Particulate pollutants are of most concern in New Zealand because of their high concentrations in some of our towns. Exposure to high levels of airborne particle pollutants has the potential to cause respiratory and cardiovascular issues. View a factsheet on why air quality is important here.

PM10 is the main concern in the Richmond urban area, particularly during the winter period when cold still conditions prevent dispersion and allow the particulate matter to build up. Exposure to PM10 can have short and long term health effects. We report on annual and daily PM10 concentrations each year along with trends for the permanent Richmond monitoring site at Plunket. 

PM monitoring history at towns in this region

  • Annual average
  • Highest daily average
  • Exeedance
Showing:
PM10

Guideline


Concentration






% of guideline

What is this showing me?

The graph shows the annual average and highest daily average PM10 concentrations, and number of exceedance days for the year selected. These are shown against air quality guidelines of 20 µg/m³ for annual averages and 50 µg/m³ for daily averages. The World Health Organisation published new guidelines in September 2021 of 15 µg/m³ for annual averages and 45 µg/m³ for daily averages. Values above the guidelines can be a cause for concern as exposure to high PM10 values can cause short and long term health effects. The trends in the table below indicate whether the PM10 concentrations have been improving, showing no measurable change, or declining over the previous 10-years. (For towns that have more than one monitoring site, a representative site is shown).

Data table PM10
Towns 10-year Trend annual average (µg/m³) Highest daily average (µg/m³) 2nd highest daily average (µg/m³) Number of exceedances
PM2.5

Guideline


Concentration






% of guideline

What is this showing me?

The graph shows the annual average and highest daily average PM2.5 concentrations, and number of exceedance days for the year selected. These are shown against air quality guidelines of 10 µg/m³ for annual averages and 25 µg/m³ for daily averages. The World Health Organisation published new guidelines in September 2021 of 5 µg/m³ for annual averages and 15 µg/m³ for daily averages. Values above the guidelines can be a cause for concern as exposure to high PM2.5 values can cause short and long term health effects. The trends in the table below indicate whether the PM2.5 concentrations have been improving, showing no measurable change, or declining over the previous 10-years. (For towns that have more than one monitoring site, a representative site is shown).

Data table PM2.5
Towns 10-year Trend annual average (µg/m³) Highest daily average (µg/m³) 2nd highest daily average (µg/m³) Number of exceedances
Towns 1

Towns in the Tasman region

Select the town you'd like to see information on by clicking the buttons below or navigate using the map.