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.