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For the first time in five years Te Kūiti has been relegated back with its polluting mates - Putāruru, Taupō and Tokoroa – and warned of a tougher future for home fires. Regional councils around New Zealand since 2005 focused their air monitoring programmes on airborne particles 10 microns in diameter. The focus is now shifting towards a finer particle range, referred to as PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less) because it provides better evidence of effects on human health and is more indicative of the combustion source. The Ministry for the Environment amendments to the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NESAQ) were predicted to come into effect in March to April 2021, but regional councils are resisting the change.
“Historic monitoring in Mataura has shown PM10 concentrations to be near the limit prescribed by the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NESAQ), which is a concentration of 50mg/m3, averaged over a 24-hour period. However, proposed changes to the NESAQ would introduce a PM2.5 standard, fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres in diameter. This would also include a new limit of a 24-hour average concentration of 25mg/m3. “Returning to Mataura will help us understand the current state of air quality in Mataura and determine whether it has improved or worsened,’’ West said. “It is important that we understand the levels of PM2.5 present in the town.’’