Air Quality
Best practice examples
Integrated Management
Method 6.1.7 in the Environment Waikato Regional Plan clarifies the respective roles of the regional and district councils, and how the relationship between air quality functions and the effects of land uses will be managed.
Plan provisions to meet the national environmental standards requirements
Chapters 5 and 6 of the Nelson Air Plan sets out objectives, policies and rules on how the Council proposes to achieve compliance with the air standards, as well as managing pollutants not included within the air standards. The Plan includes a straight line path projection for PM10 and objectives, policies and rules to achieve the straight line path. The plan is comprehensive and clear.
Air quality management areas
Objectives 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 contained in Chapter 4 of the Proposed Auckland Regional Plan: Air, Land and Water include the use of Air Quality Management Areas to guide where air quality should be maintained or enhanced in order to manage the effects of air pollution on human health, amenity and the environment, in order to achieve the Auckland Regional Air Quality Targets by 2010. The plan uses different types of Air quality management areas to differentiate where amenity levels in particular need to be maintained or enhanced.
Agrichemical spray drift
Policy AQL7 of the Environment Canterbury Proposed Natural Resources Management Plan provides measures for avoiding agrichemical spray drift, and is supported by a range of both regulatory and non-regulatory methods to achieve the policy.
Home heating
Chapter A5 of the Nelson City Council Operative Air Quality Plan includes objective A5-1, policy A5-1.6 and supporting methods to reduce emissions from home heating.
Catch all rule
Rule 6.1.9.2 of the Proposed Waikato Regional Plan provides a best practice example of a discretionary catch all rule.
Buffer zones and separation distances
Clause 4.1.5.3 of the Proposed Auckland Regional Plan: Air, Land and Water sets out the use of Air Quality Management Areas as a means to integrate land-use planning and air quality within the region. This approach seeks to avoid issues of reverse sensitivity and conflicts between incompatible and competing land uses.
Best practicable option
Rule 6.1.16.1 of the Proposed Waikato Regional Plan includes requirements that constitute the best practicable option for extraction, size reduction, screening and storage of minerals. The rule is supported by Policy 6.1.3.4, which promotes using the best practicable option approach under appropriate circumstances. The plan includes thorough explanation and principal reasons to support this policy.
Chapter 10 of the Operative Regional Air Quality Plan for Northland includes comprehensive requirements for agrichemical application and uses the best practicable option approach.
Outdoor burning
Tasman District Council has produced the "Good Practice Guide to minimise smoke emissions from outdoor burning" to reduce the adverse air quality effects arising from outdoor burning. This good practice guide is a non-regulatory method described in Chapter 34 of the Tasman Resource Management Plan.
Home heating
Nelson City Council has developed a clean home heating methods webpage on its website. The page includes a number of resources including better burning tips and an approved wood burner list. This is an easy to use resource for the public.
Cross-boundary effects
Cross-boundary effects are recognised in Section A5-1.10 of the Nelson Operative Air Quality Plan.
Monitoring provisions
Nelson City Council's Operative Air Quality Plan includes comprehensive monitoring provisionsThe Plan specifies a range of indicators to measure progress towards specific and measurable anticipated environmental results.
Monitoring strategy
Greater Wellington has developed a comprehensive monitoring strategy for the Wellington Region, which is complemented by a more specific air quality monitoring strategy.
Information requirements for resource consents
The Ministry for the Environment's Good Practice Guide for Assessing Discharges to Air from Industry provides detailed guidance on the assessment of discharges to air, including information requirements for resource consent applications.
The Auckland Regional Council TP 152, Assessing Discharges of Contaminants to Air (draft) also provides guidance.
Section 3.4 of the Proposed Canterbury Natural Resources Plan includes detailed schedules for specific activities discharging to the atmosphere.
Transfer of functions
The Auckland Regional Council has formally transferred the function of dealing with air quality complaints to Rodney and Franklin District Councils. This applies to air quality complaints where there is no regional council air discharge consent for air discharge and for any consents the district councils had approved when they formerly also had the function of processing air discharge consents (this function had previously been transferred to the councils but was rescinded).
District plan / regional plan integration
Issue 5.4 of the Waitakere City District Plan identifies air quality as a significant resource management issue and includes provisions relating to the air quality effects of land-use decisions.
District plan rules
Chapter 8 of the Auckland City District Plan - Isthmus Section contains objectives, policies and rules relating to amenity and conflict between activities in heavy industrial areas. More 'sensitive' non-industrial activities are either provided for as discretionary or non-complying activities in Business 5 and 6 zones and are subject to assessment criteria which include public safety and ambient air quality.
Rules rur20-rur31 of the New Plymouth District Plan differentiates zones and includes minimum separation distances to manage any potential amenity and reverse sensitivity effects on land uses.
The Franklin District Plan contains objectives, policies and methods relating to amenity, and conflict between activities in rural areas. Refer to: part 16, rural issues; part 17, objectives policies and methods, rural.
Methods to manage air quality effects from transport
Assessment criteria and methods for assessing discharges to air from transport are provided in the Ministry for the Environment's Good Practice Guide for Assessing Discharges to Air from Land Transport.
The Nelson Resource Management Plan includes objectives (D010.1), policies (D010.1.1, D010.1.3 and D010.1.4) and rules (e.g. RUr.46) relating to the construction of major new roads. Assessment criteria include the noise and air emissions from the road and taking account of the nature of nearby activities.
Chapter 8 - Transportation of the Manukau Operative District Plan 2002 contains issues (8.2.2), objectives (8.3.1), policies (8.4.1) and rules relating to managing air quality effects from transport.
The Proposed Auckland Regional Plan; Air, Land and Water includes methods 4.6.8 - 4.6.14 relating to motor vehicle pollution. The Plan recognises that these methods are unlikely to achieve the emissions reductions required to meet the regional air quality targets, and proposes to develop a regional air quality management strategy to identify further methods.
Policy development
Hawke's Bay Expressway: Noise and Air Quality Issues
Published by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment - July 2005
This report discusses and evaluates the impacts of the Hawke 's Bay Expressway on people who live close to the road.
The Cities and Their People: New Zealand 's Urban Environment
Published by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment - June 1998
This report discusses the need for integration of land-use, environmental and transport planning.
Managing Conflict Between Land Use And Discharges Into Air In Auckland
Author: Rachael Nicoll, ARC [Clean Air Society of Australia and NZ]
Date: August 2002
This paper discusses the use of buffer zones and air quality management areas in Auckland.
Tangata whenua
Whanau Ora Health Impact Assessment
Published by the Ministry of Health 2007
The Whanau Ora Health Impact Assessment tool is a formal approach used to predict the potential health effects of a policy on Maori and their whanau. It pays particular attention to Maori involvement in the policy development process and articulates the role of the wider health determinants in influencing health and well-being outcomes.
Urban Air: The relationship between Maori and air/air quality
Author: Dr Charlotte Severne,
Date: June 2001
This is an address to Energy Federation of NZ Inc. Conference and is only available in their proceedings.
Review of the Ambient Air Quality Guidelines: Seeking Comments from Maori
Published by the Ministry for the Environment - April 2001
In April 2001 the Ministry sought feedback from Maori in the review of the 1994 Ambient Air Quality Guidelines. This information sheet provided some background information.
Health effects of air pollution
Health and Air Pollution in New Zealand: Final Report
Published by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Transport, June 2007
This study estimates the impacts (mortality, morbidity and economic cost) of air pollution on health in New Zealand.
Health Effects and Air Pollution in New Zealand
Published by HAPINZ - June 2007
Health and Air Pollution in New Zealand (HAPINZ) has published a report on the health effects due to air pollution on the population of New Zealand. This report has information from the Ministry of Transport, Ministry for the Environment and Health Research Council of New Zealand.
Impacts of transport on health; an overview
Published by the Public Health Advisory committee, April 2003
A summary of international evidence for the effects of transport on health.
Health risk assessment
A guide to Health Impact Assessment - 2nd Edition (PDF, 1.11 MB)
Published by Public Health Advisory Committee - June 2005
Health impact assessment is a formal approach used to predict the potential health effects of a policy, with particular attention paid to impacts on health inequalities. This guide is for use - largely but not exclusively - by policy-makers in sectors other than health. Those likely to be affected by policy may also use it.
Agrichemical spray drift
NZS 8409:2004: Management of agrichemicals
Published by Standards New Zealand - September 2004
Provides practical and specific guidance on the safe, responsible and effective management of agrichemicals, including plant protection products (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides), veterinary medicines, fumigants used in rural situations and agricultural use of detergents and sanitizers.
Management of agrichemical spray drift
Published by Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, 1993
Available from the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Codes of practice
EnviroPork: The pork industry guide to managing environmental effects has replaced the Code of Practice: Pig Farming (1997). The purpose of EnviroPork is to provide a basic guide that is applicable to all pig farmers, irrespective of size and type of production system. EnviroPork gives an overview of how the RMA works and highlights activities on the farm that may have an impact on the environment.
Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand's: Poultry Industry, Agreed Standards and Codes of Practice. Available from PIANZ.
The Galvanizing Association of New Zealand has a code of practice, which is available from http://www.standards.co.nz (AS/NZS 4680:1999 Hot-dip galvanized (zinc) coatings on fabricated ferrous articles).
The Department of Labour 's Code of Practice for spray painting involving the use of iso-cyanates.
The Ministry for the Environment 's Factsheet For Workshops On Air Pollution And Dust Control.
The New Zealand Minerals Industry Association is developing a code of practice.
Domestic heating
AS/NZS 4013:1999: Domestic solid fuel burning appliances - Method for determination of flue gas emission
Published by Standards New Zealand - July 1999
Specifies a method and requirements for determining the rate of particulate emission from batch feed solid fuel burning appliances.
AS/NZS 4012:1999: Domestic solid fuel burning appliance - Method for determination of power output and efficiency
Published by Standards New Zealand - July 1999
Specifies a method and requirements for determining the heat output and efficiency from batch feed solid fuel burning appliances.
AS/NZS 4886:2007: Domestic solid fuel burning appliances - Pellet heaters - Determination of flue gas emission
Published by Standards New Zealand - February 2007
Specifies a method and requirements for determining the rate of particulate emission from pellet burners.
AS/NZS 5078:2007: Domestic solid fuel burning appliances - Pellet heaters - Method for determination of power output and efficiency
Published by Standards New Zealand - February 2007
Specifies a method and requirements for determining the heat output and efficiency of pellet burners.
AS/NZS 2918:2001: Domestic solid fuel burning appliances - Installation
Published by Standards New Zealand - November 2001
Specifies requirements for appliance and flue installation for solid fuel burning appliances in dwellings.
Websites
- World Health Organisation
- WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines
- Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand
- CSIRO sustainability network
- Environment Protection & Heritage Council
- Department of the Environment and Heritage Australia
- New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency
- Victoria Environmental Protection Agency
- USEPA
- California Air Resources Board
- Environment Canada
- UK Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs
- European Environment Agency
