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 occur 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) have tiny particles that can get deep into 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 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.
During still, cold days in winter, daily average PM₁₀ concentrations can exceed national standards (NES-AQ).

Currently there are no other designated airsheds for monitoring in Tasman region. An ongoing program of temporary monitoring is gathering information on particulate levels occurring in townships throughout the Tasman region.

Regional Summary

PM₁₀and PM_2.5at 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.

Particulate (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) 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 particulates can have short and long term health effects. We report on annual and daily 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
Exceedance

Showing:

PM₁₀

What is this showing me?

The graph enables you to view the annual average and highest daily average concentrations of PM₁₀ and number of exceedance days for the year selected. The results are compared to the relevant air quality standard or guideline (denoted by the red horizontal line). See this factsheet for more information about the PM₁₀ measurements, and the standards and guidelines used to report on.

Values above the standard or guideline shown can be a cause for concern as short- or long-term exposure to high PM₁₀ can have health impacts. See this factsheet about why air quality is important and factors that influence air quality.

The trends in the table below indicate whether the PM₁₀ concentrations have been improving, showing no measurable change, or declining over the 10-years prior to the year selected. (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

PM_2.5

What is this showing me?

The graph enables you to view the annual average and highest daily average concentrations of PM_2.5 and number of exceedance days for the year selected. The results are compared to the World Health Organization guidelines (denoted by the red horizontal line). See this factsheet for more information about the PM_2.5 measurements, and the standards and guidelines used to report on.

Values above the guidelines can be a cause for concern as short- and long-term exposure to high PM_2.5 values can have health impacts. See this factsheet about why air quality is important and factors that influence air quality.

Any trends in the table below indicate whether the PM_2.5 concentrations have been improving, showing no measurable change, or declining over the 10-years prior to the year selected. (For towns that have more than one monitoring site, a representative site is shown).

Data table PM_2.5

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.

Richmond

1 Site