Mount Air Quality Working Party

Multiple agencies play a part in protecting communities’ and the environment’s health with their legal responsibilities around the air that we breathe. The four organisations below are represented in this Working Party.

• Bay of Plenty Regional Council - Controls the discharges of contaminants to air.
• Ministry for the Environment – Sets national limits and rules for air quality, and monitors Council performance.
• Tauranga City Council - Controls the effects of land use, and impacts on environmental health.
• Bay of Plenty District Health Board -  Directs actions to protect environmental health, and promotes actions to improve health.

Short term

• Monitor air quality 24/7 to detect any immediate issues of concern as well as understand long-term patterns
• Notify health impacts in order to respond to immediate issues as well as understand long term effects
• Share lived experiences of the community so agencies and industry understand effects of activities and decisions
• Provide inventories of contaminants and discharges to improve general understanding of what’s in the air
• Undertake compliance to ensure existing rules are followed.

Medium term

• Support community initiatives such as planting to improve the lived experience
• Process consents using best available and up to date information, and acknowledging the specific issues and cumulative effects facing the Mount Industrial Area
• Industry upgrades and initiatives to be progressed to ensure best practice and reduce impacts
• Science and trends of air quality to be reported in order to make good decisions
• Investigation of managed retreat to be progressed by hau kainga to look at possible future outcomes.

Long term

• World Health Organisation guidelines to be adopted and reflected in national, regional and local policies and rules
• Revised National Environmental Standards for Air Quality standards and limits to be finalised and given effect to
• New district and regional policies and rules set that reflect both national direction and the issues facing Mount Maunganui.