Foreword
Information about the state of New Zealand's air quality is important for estimating potential health effects and determining where emissions should be reduced to improve air quality. This report summarises our current knowledge about the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), benzene and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in New Zealand's air.
The results indicate that concentrations of these pollutants are generally low and within guideline values in New Zealand, and in many areas air quality in New Zealand is extremely good. However, there are some urban areas where CO, NO2, O3, benzene and BaP reach levels that are high enough to cause adverse health effects. These typically occur in Auckland and Christchurch close to busy roads or where inversion layers trap wintertime pollution from domestic fires. Further analysis of such potential health effects is described in an accompanying report.
I would like to thank you those councils and others who contributed data and commented on this report.
Barry Carbon
Chief Executive
Ministry for the Environment
