Our air 2024
Every day, adults take around 20,000 breaths of air. Children, who breathe faster, take even more. The air we breathe plays an important role in both our health and quality of life. Air quality in Aotearoa compares well internationally across the country as a whole. But air pollution is a highly localised issue, and at particular times and places and under certain conditions , our air can pose public health risks.
Our air 2024 report cover
Our air 2024 examines the pressures we place on the quality of the air we breathe and the impacts this has on our health and the health of the environment.
Source: Ministry for the Environment, Stats NZ and data providers and licensed by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence .
Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ report on the state of different aspects of the environment – for example, atmosphere and climate, freshwater, land and the environment as a whole. Our air 2024 reports on pressures our activities put on the air and how these changes to the state of the environment can impact our lives.
The report looks at the impacts on air quality from a variety of sources, including gas and particulate matter pollutants, natural sources of particulate matte r and pollutants we might not immediately associate with air – light, noise and odour.
Our air 2024 – infographic
This infographic highlights key messages in Our air 2024 – although Aotearoa New Zealand’s air quality is generally good, there are still concerns about health impacts on people.
Download a PDF of this infographic.
Source: Ministry for the Environment, Stats NZ and data providers and licensed by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence .
Our connections to air and why air quality matters
The word hau means air or wind. Hau also refers to the vital essence or vitality of a person, place or object. The origins of these kupu (words) recognise that our health (hauora) and the health of the air (hau takiwā) are interlinked. While we cannot see the air, its presence is made visible by its impacts on people and the environment.
Air quality directly affects our health and our quality of life. Air pollution is a factor in the premature deaths of thousands of New Zealanders every year. It contributes to hospitalisations and other health impacts and results in billions of dollars in economic costs .
The impacts of air pollution are not spread evenly across the population . Some groups are more likely to be affected, including Māori and Pacific peoples, children, the elderly and those living in the most deprived areas.
Air pollutants – particulates and gases
Particulate matter refers to tiny solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air. In Aotearoa, two categories of particulate pollution are measured – PM10 (coarse) and PM2.5 (fine).
Gas pollutants are potentially harmful substances that exist as gases in the air. The main gases monitored in Aotearoa are nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ground-level ozone.
Size comparisons for PM particles
Particulate matter (PM) is made up of liquid droplets and solid particles fine enough to be suspended in the air. The smaller the particle the deeper it can travel into a person's lungs. Here particulate sizes are compared to the width of a human hair.
Sources of air pollution
Home heating and transport are major human sources of air pollution in Aotearoa.
Per capita, our vehicle ownership is among the highest in the world and continues to grow as our population increases. As of 2022, our fleet size is the largest to date, with the largest percentage of diesel vehicles (21%). The total vehicle kilometres travelled has also increased – one factor is urban sprawl, which leads to longer drives.
In 2019, particulates and gases from human-made air pollution were associated with 3,239 premature deaths, 13,237 hospitalisations, 12,653 cases of childhood asthma and over 1.771 million restricted activity days.
Air pollution from motor vehicles alone accounted for 71% of estimated hospitalizations (nearly 9,400 cases) and 68% of premature deaths (2,247 cases).
Annual social costs from air pollution were estimated at $15.3 billion. Air pollution from motor vehicles accounted for 69% ($10.5 billion) of these costs with the majority of the remaining costs attributed to domestic fires.
Our air 2024
Although heat pumps and electric heaters are the most common types of heating, around a third of households still use wood or pellet burners. Fewer households are using wood burners – the numbers vary due to regional regulations, winter conditions , the affordability of alternative heating options and personal preferences.
Air pollution from wood burners is significantly influenced by climate conditions and topography. Towns and cities situated in valleys and basins often face air quality problems during cooler months when home heating emissions are high. Calm weather and temperature inversion can trap pollutants close to the ground.
Sea spray and particulate matter
Sea spray is generated by the breaking surface of waves. It contains a mixture of salts and organic matter – suspended as fine particulates – that are ejected into the air.
Additional sources
Commercial activities also emit air polluants. Agricultural activities (including tillage, harvesting and livestock intensification) can be a large source of particulate matter . Burning fossil fuels for manufacturing, construction, public electricity and heating emit a range of particulate matte r and gas pollutants. Dust from unsealed roads contributes around 28% of PM10 emissions.
Natural sources of wind-blown dust come from exposed topsoil, dry riverbeds, sand dunes, plant pollen and volcanic eruptions. Sea sal t is the largest natural source of particulate matter in urban areas of Aotearoa. In Auckland, sea sal t is a major source of PM10 during summer.
Undesirable odours contribute to air quality concerns. Noise and light pollution are growing environmental problems, all of which can affect our quality of life.
Between 2012 and 2021, the lit surface area of Aotearoa increased by 37.4% (from 3.0% to 4.2%), despite 95% of the country having no direct emissions of artificial light at night.
Our air 2024
It’s not just humans that are impacted by reduced air quality. There is global evidence that particulate matte r and gaseous emissions can harm biodiversity across many ecosystems. In Aotearoa, we’re seeing how light pollution can negatively impact native species.
Finding solutions and taking action
Reports like Our air 2024 show that we have an adept understanding of the pressures we’ve placed on the environment.
We have a lot to be grateful for – our clean air and smog-free skies provide lots of benefits and are a major drawcard for international visitors. However, as our understanding of the full health impacts of air pollution grows, it is becoming evident that, for most pollutants, there is no safe level.
The good news is we can make changes, and when we do, we can see improvements almost immediately. Since the last air report in 2021, air quality has improved across many of the country’s monitoring sites, largely due to reductions in transport and home heating emissions.
Active travel
Active travel – using your own energy to get to places – reduces air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. It’s good for personal health and for the environment.
Pictured are students at Titahi Bay School learning about scooter safety on the Scooter Ready Programme .
Photo by Lisa Campbell.
There are steps that we can take to protect the air that we breathe. For example, the Ministry of Education is committed to the removal of all remaining coal boilers in public schools and installing low-emissions alternatives. How we get to school can also make a difference. Consider active transport – walking, biking or scootering to benefit both your hauora and hau takiwā!
Nature of science
The data used in Our air 2024 comes from many sources, including Crown research institutes and central and local government. Further supporting information was provided using a ‘body of evidence’ approach. This includes peer-reviewed published literature as well as mātauranga Māori and observational tools used to identify changes in the land environment.
Related content
The articles Air quality and Air pollution in Christchurch contain additional information and videos that are helpful in understanding the impacts of air pollution on human health.
Building Science Concepts: The air around us provides background information and activities on the nature and properties of air.
The Clear the Air collection supports the House of Science Clear the Air resource kit – but it is also useful for anyone interested in the human respiratory system and air quality/air pollution.
Ururangi – air, winds and the sky – from the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ’s Environment Aotearoa 2022 report – explores air quality using Te Kāhui o Matariki as the guiding framework.
Activity ideas
Explore air quality issues further with the activities Investigating air pollution and Sources and effects of air pollution.
Globe at Night and Loss of the Night are global citizen science projects that explore the impacts of light pollution.
The 2017 Connected article Sensing data describes how a team of researchers used technology and big data to help make Christchurch a healthier smarter city to live in.
Useful link
Stats NZ and the Ministry for the Environment report on different aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand’s environment every 6 months. Access their reports here.
Acknowledgement
This resource has been produced with the support of the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ. © Crown copyright.
Our air 2024
The Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ produce New Zealand’s Environmental Reporting Series.
Our air 2024 reports on state of Aotearoa New Zealand’s air quality and how it affects our lives and our environment.
