Auckland's air quality

What is the ARC doing to reduce air pollution?

The ARC is responsible for managing and controlling discharges of contaminants to the air and ensuring that the region's outdoor air is clean and healthy to breathe. The ARC uses different tools to achieve this goal. These include setting up policies and establishing rules to manage particular issues in the region, issuing resource consents for discharges from industry and trade premises and monitoring key pollutant levels at various sites around the region.

The regional policy on air quality and discharges is outlined in the Auckland Regional Policy Statement. The rules on discharges to air are laid out in the Proposed Auckland Regional Plan: Air, Land and Water (ALW Plan) that outlines which activities are controlled (such as those that require a consent from the ARC) because of their potential to have adverse effects on the environment.

The ARC also works with city and district councils, central government and industry to ensure the effects of discharges are minimised and or controlled:

• Ministry for the Environment is the principal advisor on the New Zealand environment and international matters that affect the environment.
• Ministry of Health are responsible for monitoring potential risks to the population from air pollution and other factors.
• Ministry of Transport is the government's principal transport policy advisor and acts an the agent to manage the interface with the transport crown entities (Transit, Land Transport New Zealand etc.).
• New Zealand Home Heating Association plays a major role in the development and promotion of clean air standards, and energy and resource conservation by running a certification for installer and retailer members to help ensure that the appropriate standards are maintained at all levels within the industry.