Record low number of air quality exceedances

Media release

20 September 2022

Record low number of air quality exceedances

Invercargill and Gore have recorded the best winter air quality results since monitoring began.

In 2022, Gore recorded zero exceedances of the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality, meaning it has met the necessary legislative requirements for two years in a row.

In the same period, Invercargill recorded two exceedances, an improvement on three exceedances in 2021. While this is above the required standard of no more than one exceedance in a 12-month period, it is the city’s best result on record.

Chief Scientist Karen Wilson said this is excellent news for the health of Southlanders and it is a good indication that people are making an effort to reduce the pollution from home heating appliances, which are the biggest contributors to air pollution in Invercargill and Gore.

“We know our results are affected by weather conditions and we have been lucky to have a relatively mild winter, but to see results continue to improve after the low exceedance numbers in 2021 is a really positive sign.”

“We are starting to see the changes people have been making, have an ongoing positive impact – burning dry wood, upgrading to cleaner heating sources and being more aware of how they operate their burners.”

Karen Wilson said reduced exceedances and improved air quality are all positives for the community and something we need to see continue.

“We’re definitely on the right track, but any day of poor air quality can impact people’s health and the environment, so we can’t afford to get complacent.”

Home heating remains the area where people can make the biggest difference to air quality.

This positive result comes after negative publicity about Invercargill’s air quality earlier in the year, which was based on monitoring in 2016. The study, Health and air pollution in New Zealand2016, was funded by the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Health Ministry of Transport and Waka Kotahi, which took into account vehicle emissions, something Environment Southland doesn’t measure.

The Regional Air Plan includes rules to help improve air quality, with open fires now prohibited in the Invercargill and Gore airsheds, and non-compliant burners being progressively phased out and replaced with heat pumps or more efficient burners.

Environment Southland operates a Good Wood approved supplier scheme, which firewood retailers voluntarily agree to be part of.

Assistance is available within the Invercargill and Gore airsheds through the Clean Air Loans scheme to help people move to cleaner forms of heating.

For further information go to www.BreatheEasySouthland.co.nz.