Waikato Regional Council regularly monitors and reports on regional air quality. Our air indicators summarise the results of our science and monitoring programmes, and provide a holistic report on the state of the Waikato region's environment.
Take a look at the latest air quality readings across the region in our environmental data hub.
This Waikato Progress Indicator measures the number of times the regional guideline for the level of fine particles in our air has been exceeded each year, across all air quality monitoring sites in urban areas within the Waikato region.
Waikato Regional Council measures the amount of PM10 (very fine particles smaller than 10 microns) in the air. Click here to find the most recent exceedances for PM10 in our region.
The Waikato region generally enjoys good air quality, but in some areas air pollution can build up. This happens mostly in our inland city and towns.
An airshed is a legally designated air quality management area. There are 21 airsheds in the Waikato region.
Find out more about Waikato Regional Council's rules and requirements for agrichemical spraying.
Outdoor burning is a significant contributor to air pollution in some areas of the Waikato region.
Home fires are a major source of air pollution in some areas of the Waikato region.
Vehicle emissions affect human health and the environment. Find out how to reduce petrol and diesel vehicle emissions while saving yourself money.
In New Zealand, farmed animals are the main source of greenhouse gases.
Industrial sites can produce a variety of air contaminants, depending on the type of industry and its processes.
Most air quality complaints and enquiries that Waikato Regional Council receive are about odours. Find out where they come from, why odours affect people differently and why odours are difficult to manage.
To Māori, air is a taonga or treasure. The Waikato region generally has good air quality, but some areas experience air pollution. Māori are concerned about effects of pollutants on health, the environment and the spiritual values of other taonga.
The Waikato region is already experiencing the effects of our changing climate. The changes present risks to our economy, our people, our property and our environment.
Some human activities release chemicals into the air that remove ozone. Less ozone in the atmosphere increases the amount of ultra-violet rays that reach the earth.
What the weather is doing can have direct effects on air quality at a given location.
Check out air qualities issues across different areas of the Waikato.