Two hour air quality workshops are to be held about the Bay of Plenty regional centres to assess major air quality issues and how to address them.

The issues and proposed recommendations to be discussed at workshops in Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatane are included in a discussion document to supporting a draft new Regional Air Plan – a Resource Management Act document that defines air discharge activities.

The discussion document outlines the most significant air quality issues in the region, identified through air quality monitoring data and complaints received.

These include: open burning in urban areas, Rotorua domestic burners, commercial and industrial boilers, agrichemical and fumigation spraying, abrasive blasting, intensive farming, crematoria and spray-painting.

The two-hour workshops will include presentations from staff and facilitated discussions on key issues relevant to each sub-region. Each workshop will be followed by an open day.

Some of the rules proposed to address the air quality issues may impact some members of the community, which is why the council is actively seeking input, says regional council senior policy analyst Karen Parcell.

'Good air quality is important to our community so it's important to strike the right balance between managing air quality, people's health and the regulations that may be required to achieve this,” says Karen.

'One of the proposed mitigation suggestions is to ban open burning in urban areas, which may have a significant impact on households who use backyard fires to remove garden rubbish and general waste.

'We are also clarifying conditions around things such as agrichemical spraying, as well as activities that need a resource consent, such as crematoria and methyl bromide use at the Port of Tauranga.

'Another draft measure is to put further controls around domestic burners, such as wood burners, in the Rotorua urban area, which may also be a concern for some members of this community.”

There are already initiatives in place to support Rotorua residents with existing and proposed rules around domestic burners. The regional council offers financial incentives to upgrade to cleaner heat alternatives, says Karen.

'The level of support depends on income, but there is something to help everybody.”

While Rotorua rates as the second-worst city in New Zealand for air quality in New Zealand, the Bay of Plenty region generally enjoys good air quality compared to some other parts of the country.

'We want to continue to preserve this resource so we can continue to enjoy good air quality in years to come. Our role as the regional council is to manage the air quality so it does not impact negatively on the health and well-being of our community.”

Community input is sought from Friday April 26, to Friday June 17, 2016 to ensure the right issues have been identified in the proposed draft plan and that the proposed rules to address these issues will achieve the desired outcomes.

The discussion document is available from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website or contact Karen Parcell on 0800 884 881 extension 9346, or email [email protected]