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Clean air programme

The Ministry’s clean air programme promotes the sustainable management of air in New Zealand by developing the best national policies and tools to maintain and, where necessary, improve air quality. These include:

guidelines
national environmental standards and regulations
good-practice guidance
education programmes
research and reporting.

To do this, we examine all aspects of air quality including the health, environmental and economic impacts of local air quality throughout New Zealand. We also work closely with other government departments to ensure their policies and strategies positively influence air quality.

Until recently, the Ministry has focused on developing guidance and guidelines for councils, industries and communities to use for air quality management, but we are now looking more closely at other policy options, such as national environmental standards and economic instruments.

The programme includes:

As well as promoting sustainable air quality management, each project aims to:

clean up New Zealand’s air
promote the importance of clean, clear air and the government's goals for air quality
develop and debate approaches to sustainable air quality management;
increase understanding of air quality and its effects on human health and the environment
improve quality and consistency in monitoring and managing air quality in New Zealand.

The direction of the programme and projects within it are revised every year to include new projects and to meet the needs of the Minster for the Environment. The number of projects and their scope depend on the resources available to the Programme.

For more information on these projects email air@mfe.govt.nz.