Tighter rules to reduce air pollution

Monday 26 February 2018

Bay of Plenty Regional Council wants to know what you think about updated air quality rules in the region.

Proposed Plan Change 13 (Air Quality) will be notified on February 27 and public consultation will run until April 12. The plan change helps the regional council control discharges of contaminants into air for the whole Bay of Plenty, including coastal marine areas. Some of the proposed changes will affect people who have previously burned rubbish on their properties.

The regional council is responsible for managing air quality in the Bay of Plenty. Regulatory project officer Chris Brewer says air quality is an increasing issue in the Bay.

"Air quality is the cause of most complaints to our pollution hotline (60 percent in 2016/17), and this number continues to grow year-on-year."

Senior planner Karen Parcell says in a changing environment it’s important the council takes this opportunity to update the rules to ensure they adequately control discharges of contaminants and best serve the community.

Plan Change 13 was previously known as the Draft New Regional Air Plan, which was released in April 2016 for community feedback. During the six-week consultation period, the council ran community workshops and open days in Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne. Karen says community input has been incorporated into the proposed plan change.

“The response during the consultation period was excellent and we’re pleased we could include the community’s feedback into this proposed plan change. This is an important set of rules for the Bay of Plenty and we encourage people to check it out.”

People wishing to know more can visit www.boprc.govt.nz/air-plan-change or contact Karen on 0800 884 880 or email karen.parcell@boprc.govt.nz.

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