Air: monitoring and reporting

Air quality in the Waikato

Here in the Waikato, it's easy to take high quality, clean air for granted. But we do have some areas in our region where, for various reasons, air pollutants can reach or even exceed maximum recommended levels.

Visibility monitoring in the Hamilton Basin shows that visibility varies a lot from day to day. On some days Mount Ruapehu (170 km away from Hamilton) is visible from some of the higher buildings in Hamilton. On other days, Mount Pirongia (30 km away) is not.

Waikato Regional Council regularly monitors and reports on regional air quality. Our current and past 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.

Latest data - PM10 levels Latest data - PM2.5 Levels Recent exceedances of PM10

Indicators - summarising our monitoring results

Fine particle levels in air

Waikato Regional Council measures levels of PM10 and PM2.5. These very fine particles can remain suspended in the atmosphere for long periods of time, and pose a risk to human health.

Nitrogen dioxide levels in air

Waikato Regional Council monitors levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas that affects lung function. In urban areas the main source of NO2 is motor vehicle emissions.

Benzene levels in air

Benzene is produced by combustion processes such as burning fuels for transportation and heating and as a result of evaporative emissions. Exposure can be harmful to human health.

Carbon dioxide sources

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. We have previously monitored the proportions of carbon dioxide in the air from industry, motor vehicles and domestic heating sources.

Carbon monoxide levels in air

Carbon monoxide s a poisonous gas that is colourless, odourless and tasteless. It’s associated with areas of high-density housing and busy roads.

Lead levels in air

Lead is a heavy metal that can affect people’s health. Motor vehicle emissions used to be a major source of lead in Hamilton.

Ozone levels in air

Ozone in the lower atmosphere is an air pollutant that can impact on our health. It's primarily formed through chemical reactions associatd with motor-vehicle emissions, combustion and some industrial and domestic activities.

Sulphur dioxide levels in air

Sulphur dioxide is a potent respiratory irritant, and has been associated with increased hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as mortality.

Waikato Progress Indicators (WPI) - air quality

Each year, the WPI measure the Waikato region’s situation and trends for 32 key economic, environmental and social aspects. The air quality indicator measures the number of times the regional guideline for fine particles has been exceeded.