Air Quality Monitoring

Council is required to undertake air quality monitoring under the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NESAQ). This provides valuable information on the state of Nelson’s air quality and effectiveness of Council’s management of its responsibilities as a unitary authority under the Resource Management Act.

The NESAQ sets ambient standards that are the minimum requirements that outdoor air quality should meet in order to guarantee a set level of protection for human health and the environment. The phrase ‘set level of protection’ is used quite deliberately – it does not mean that all adverse health impacts will be avoided. This is because some pollutants (e.g., PM₁₀) do not have a ‘safe’ threshold under which no adverse health impacts are experienced.

Airsheds of Nelson

Nelson is divided into four airsheds for air quality management purposes; Airshed A - Nelson South; Airshed B1 - Tahunanui; Airshed B2 - Stoke; and Airshed C - Nelson North. Learn more about Nelson's Airsheds: Airsheds in Nelson

Nelson City Council routinely monitors PM₁₀ at four sites. Two of these sites, St Vincent Street (Airshed A) and Blackwood Street (Airshed B1) have a history of exceeding the NESAQ PM₁₀guidelines.

Nelson’s air quality has shown a steady and significant reduction in PM₁₀ emissions since monitoring began 2001

Air Quality Monitoring Results