Rotorua has officially lost its 'polluted' air quality status after 15 years of coordinated action by the local community and Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

The city, long affected by poor winter-time air due to smoke from domestic wood burners, had struggled to meet national standards for particulate matter known as PM10—tiny airborne particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less.

The Rotorua Airshed had exceeded the national limit, prompting regulatory constraints and stricter controls on activities that release pollutants into the air.

Under the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality, an area is classified as 'polluted' if it averages more than one exceedance of the PM10 standard per year over a five-year period. After maintaining an average of one or fewer exceedances per year for five consecutive years, the Rotorua Airshed has now met the threshold to be reclassified.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council councillor Lyall Thurston said the change marked a significant milestone in the city’s efforts to improve its air.

“Over the past 15 years, a series of measures have been introduced by Regional Council to address winter-time air quality issues,” Thurston said. “These include banning older style burners, launching an extensive education campaign, and enhancing compliance efforts.”

Thurston said the community’s commitment to cleaner heating options had played a major role in the improvement.

“This milestone marks an opportunity to say thank you to those who have already made the change to cleaner heating, and recognise how collective change has made an impact for the benefit of all Rotorua residents and visitors,” he said.

Poor air quality remains a public health concern, and new national rules are expected to introduce tougher limits on smaller particles in the future. Rotorua, where many residents rely on wood burners for heating, could face fresh challenges under those standards.

Thurston said Rotorua had made great progress, but there was still work to do, with numerous smoky fires still in use across the city.

He also acknowledged the support of other organisations involved in the Rotorua Air Quality Working Group, including Rotorua Lakes Council, Kainga Ora and Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora.

The Rotorua Airshed will officially lose its polluted classification on Saturday 24 May. The area risks reclassification if air quality standards are breached again.