Air Quality Review Welcomed

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has welcomed the announcement that New Zealand’s air quality standards will be reviewed.

The Minister for the Environment, Hon Nick Smith, today released the terms of reference and the technical advisory group to review the national environmental standards for particulate air pollution under the Resource Management Act.

“This review is timely as the Regional Council is committed to meeting the air quality standards and improving the quality of our air, especially in Hastings and Napier, but there needs to be some changes to the standards to help us achieve the desired outcome,” said Regional Council Chairman, Alan Dick.

The Government has recognised that 10 cities and towns, including Hastings and Napier, are not in a position to meet the air quality standards by the 2013 deadline.

“It is a positive step that the Government will be looking at whether it is fair to punish industry for non-compliance with the air quality standards, when the cause of the air pollution here is domestic home heating. Councils want to help their communities achieve better air quality and a more positive lead from Government on costs and timelines would benefit us all, especially in the current economic climate,” said Environmental Management Committee Chairman, Cr Eileen von Dadelszen.

The Regional Council is still aiming to provide some form of financial assistance for people in Hastings and Napier air sheds so they can upgrade to clean heating. This will need to work alongside the insulation package announced in the Budget.

The new Government scheme will start on 1 July 2009 and offers to pay a third (up to $1,300) of the cost of installing ceiling and under floor insulation in homes built before 2000, plus provide assistance for home heating. It aims to retrofit more than 180,000 New Zealand homes over the next three years.

“Warm, dry, healthy homes is a key objective, and the Regional Council will aim to add even more value to the Government’s package by helping Hastings and Napier people improve their home heating,” said Chairman Dick.