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1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the Good Practice Guide

This guide is one of a series of good practice guides for air quality developed by the Ministry for the Environment. The series includes the:

  • Good Practice Guide for Assessing Discharges to Air from Industry (the subject of this guidance document)

  • Good Practice Guide for Assessing Discharges to Air from Land Transport (Ministry for the Environment, 2008)

  • Good Practice Guide for Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling (Ministry for the Environment, 2004a).

There is a strong relationship between the guides. For example, if an assessment requires a quantitative estimation of pollutant concentrations from industry, this guide will refer you to the Good Practice Guide for Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling.

The Good Practice Guide for Assessing Discharges to Air from Industry applies the framework provided in the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards Relating to Certain Air Pollutants, Dioxins, and Other Toxics) Regulations 2004 (including amendments 2005) and the Updated Users Guide (Ministry for the Environment, 2005), which covers the regulations themselves. The aim is that the good practice guide series, taken together, will help provide for comprehensive and consistent management of air quality in New Zealand. The framework for these documents is shown in Figure 1.1.

This Good Practice Guide for industry makes recommendations for which assessment approach to adopt, while recognising the wide variety of potential users. Although the focus is on providing consistent guidance to consenting authorities, consent applicants and their advisers, there is some flexibility if documented and well-justified alternative approaches are proposed.

More specifically, this guide:

  • outlines the regulatory framework for the assessment process, in particular the national environmental standards for air quality and regional plans

  • provides guidance on appropriate levels of assessment, given the variety of development for which assessment will be required

  • provides guidance on characterising both the development and the receiving environment

  • identifies the air quality criteria by which impacts should be assessed

  • provides guidance on key considerations under the national environmental standards for air quality

  • provides guidance on the methods available for assessing the impacts of air quality on both human health and the wider environment.

Although the aim of the guide is to promote national consistency in approach, both for consenting authorities and for applicants for resource consent and their advisers, it should be noted that the guidelines have no legal standing.

The assessment of potential dust and odour impacts arising from industrial emissions is not covered in any detail in this document because these are the subject of existing Ministry for the Environment guidance (Ministry for the Environment, 2001a and 2003).

Figure 1.1: Legal and guidance framework for assessing discharges to air

See figure at its full size (including text description).

Figures 1.2 and 1.3 show the wide range of relevant Ministry for the Environment air quality publications, and their areas of applicability.

Figure 1.2: New Zealand air quality guidance documents

See figure at its full size (including text description).

Figure 1.3: Application of air quality guidance documents

See figure at its full size (including text description).

1.2 Target audience

This document is aimed at practitioners making assessments of the effects of discharges to air from industrial sources, including consultants, council officers, scientists and reviewers. It is a detailed technical document, and as such is not aimed at non-specialists, such as the general public, lawyers, planners, hearing commissioners, or specialists in areas other than air. Although some sections may be useful to this latter group, the document has not been prepared with this audience in mind.

As noted above, it is designed to provide assistance, advice and sources of information with the aim of making the assessment process more streamlined and more consistent around the country. It is not binding, and in some cases the level of detail required will go beyond what has been covered here.

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