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Foreword by the Ministry

The national environmental standards for air quality were introduced in 2004 because of a strong need for action on ambient levels of particles in most parts of the country. The standards also laid the foundation for an effective management framework for other pollutants associated with industry, such as oxides of nitrogen.

Practitioners preparing assessments of environmental effects and interpreting modelling results must now consider the national environmental standards for air quality. This can, however, be a highly technical and complex process.

In response to the need for guidance, in June 2006 the Ministry for the Environment published a Draft Good Practice Guide for Assessing Discharges to Air from Industry for consultation. A number of submissions on the draft document were gratefully received, and the guide was updated to reflect the comments and information provided.

This updated Good Practice Guide for Assessing Discharges to Air from Industry provides clear, comprehensive guidance on exactly how to consider the impacts that industry has on air quality. The guide promotes a three-tiered approach in order to separate the simple from the complex. It covers all elements of environmental assessment – not just those pollutants included in the Standards. In doing so, it provides comprehensive guidance on the methods available for assessing how air quality can affect both human health and the environment.

This document is aimed at practitioners (consultants, council officers, scientists and reviewers) making assessments of the effects of discharges to air from industry. I am pleased to present this Good Practice Guide and encourage practitioners to adopt the recommended protocols in the interests of national consistency and technical best practice.

Howard Fancy

Acting Secretary for the Environment

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