23 January 2001 Media Statement
Air quality problems spark guidelines review
The Ministry for the Environment is reviewing air quality guidelines to make them more stringent, the Minister for the
Environment, Marian Hobbs, said today.
"We tend to think that New Zealand’s air is mostly pure and healthy to breathe," Ms Hobbs said. "In truth, the quality
of our air is not as good as we'd like, and in some places pollution levels are bad enough to harm people's health and
the environment.
"Air pollution in Auckland can be worse than in London with levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide regularly
exceeding World Health Organisation guidelines. Smog levels in Christchurch sometimes rival those in the worst polluted
cities in the world."
Revised guidelines will set robust national targets that promote action to improve air quality and provide equal and
adequate protection for people and the environment throughout New Zealand, the Minister said.
The national air quality guideline values, developed by the Ministry for the Environment in 1994, are the minimum
requirements that outdoor air quality should meet in order to protect human health and the environment. Where air
pollution levels breach guideline values, emissions reduction strategies should be developed to improve air quality.
As a part of its review of the guidelines, the Ministry for the Environment released a discussion document Proposals
for new and revised ambient air quality guidelines in January. The discussion document sets out the proposed national
direction for managing air quality.
Councils and others involved in managing air quality have used the guidelines to better understand monitoring results,
direct policies and to decide on resource consent applications.
The guidelines outline how councils can manage air quality under the Resource Management Act, as well as managing air
contaminants including: carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particles, sulphur dioxide, ozone, fluoride, lead and
hydrogen sulphide.
As much of our air pollution problems come from common sources such as open fires and vehicle exhaust, everybody needs
to take responsibility and play a part in helping reduce emissions where they cause a problem, Ms Hobbs said.
"We need to discuss the impacts of air pollution with local communities and to encourage them to think about how they
can make a difference to improve air quality," she added.
"This is their opportunity to discuss air quality issues with the Ministry for the Environment and express their views
on the recommended national direction."
Copies of the report and a summary fact sheet can be obtained from the Ministry for the Environment's web site at