Tēnā koutou,

Welcome to the latest Mount Maunganui air quality update, providing news and reporting from Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council as well as other agencies working to manage industrial activities and air quality concerns in the Mount Maunganui area.

If you have feedback, ideas or topics you would like to see covered in future editions of this newsletter, please let us know by replying to this email. 

Air quality trends

Odour

Odour remains the most common air quality issue reported to the Pollution Hotline, with most complaints in the Mount Maunganui area about bitumen-like smells (see Pollution Hotline section below).

Odour monitoring is challenging because it relies on ‘people’ rather than a machine —there is no equipment that can accurately detect or measure odour better than human senses.

There is also no national rule - only guidelines from the Ministry for the Environment, which outline good practice for assessing and managing odours that cause offensive and objectionable effects in New Zealand. It contains expert opinion for those involved in managing odour, including council staff, councillors, consultants and industry. It is also a helpful resource for members of the public who may be affected by adverse odour effects.

Regional Council rules and resource consents are issued based on these same guidelines, and our officers assess odour accordingly. 

To help get ahead of odour complaints relating to bitumen we continue to be notified when both plants are starting up, and our staff check for odour issues when weather conditions could cause smells to reach residential areas.

Enforcement

A breach of air quality consent conditions, from a site located within the Mount Maunganui airshed, was confirmed on 24 February 2025 and an abatement notice issued on 19 March 2025. The consent holder has 15 working days to appeal this notice. 

Dust (PM₁₀)

We measure dust, referred to as particulate matter or PM₁₀ (dust particles 10 microns or smaller in diameter), against the 24-hour limit of the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NES-AQ). This standard sets a guaranteed minimum level of health protection for people living in New Zealand. Our monitoring shows that levels of dust in the Mount Maunganui industrial area are decreasing at some of our monitoring sites, and the number of breaches of the NES-AQ are declining.  

You can view the air quality data from the industrial area here (not mobile or tablet friendly) or check air quality in the residential area in real time here.  

Above: Graph showing the number of exceedances of the 24-hour limit of the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality for PM₁₀ detected in the Mount Maunganui Airshed since the monitoring programme was expanded across the industrial area.

*Monitoring started in November 2018 in Year 1.

Note: An exceedance detected at the Ranch Road site (outside the Mount Maunganui Airshed) on 17 December 2024, during a stormy day (when a heavy sea mist was blanketing Mount Maunganui), has had its special circumstances dispensation application approved by the Minister for the Environment. Based on the examination of air quality monitor samples from during this period, which showed strong evidence of sea salt particles, the Minister was satisfied that this event was caused by natural occurrences beyond Council’s control. 

Map of PM₁₀ monitors 

Due to the new Interim Permitted Activity Rule, PM₁₀ is also monitored by a number of industries in the Mount Maunganui Airshed. Click to enlarge the map of monitors below. 

Above: Turquoise dots are reference grade monitors independently contracted by Regional Council, yellow dots are air quality indicators managed by the Regional Council, purple dots are industry managed monitors (a requirement under the IPAR rule - more detail below), green dots are Port of Tauranga managed air monitors looking at where PM₁₀ originates from and the red dots are the benzene monitors.

Benzene

Benzene is an air pollutant released from burning fuels (such as for transport and heating) and through evaporative emissions from fuel storage tanks. It is described as having a sweet, petrol-like odour. 

In June 2024, 21 passive monitors were installed across industrial and residential areas of Mount Maunganui following recommendations in the Environmental Health Report commissioned by Toi te Ora Public Health; Air Pollution: Health Risk Assessment Mount Maunganui.

The Ministry for the Environment does not have a National Environmental Standard for benzene, only a guideline. National Environmental Standards are legally binding, while guidelines are advisory and serve as a reference for air quality management.

The Regional Council’s monitoring programme focuses on chronic exposure (continuous or repeated contact) rather than short-term odour detection. It measures benzene levels at 21 sites across the Mount Maunganui area. The national ambient air quality guideline for benzene is 3.6 µg/m³ (annual average), a level set to minimise long-term health risks.

Data collected over the first six months shows that benzene levels are below the annual guideline value. The three monitors where benzene was recorded at the highest levels include Z Petroleum Northwest, Totara Street and Allied Southwest.  

The passive monitors will remain in place for at least 12 months.

Pollution Hotline

We received 36 notifications through the Pollution Hotline regarding air quality issues in the Mount Maunganui Airshed for the period 1 January 2025 to 31 March 2025. Of these, 27 were in relation to odour issues and 14 of those related to reported bitumen or asphalt type odours.

Please note, the number of calls and notifications the Regional Council receives about air quality concerns does not necessarily reflect actual air quality. 

Consent update

Resource consents are a critical tool for protecting air quality and are one of the main levers the Regional Council has to manage air quality issues. There are currently a number of air quality related consents being processed in the Mount Maunganui industrial area and we have provided a short update on these below.

Port of Tauranga

The Environment Court has issued a second Interim Decision on the Port of Tauranga’s wharf extension and dredging proposal.

Stage 1 of the Sulphur Point wharf extension has been approved, but certain conditions must be met.

Stage 2 of Sulphur Point and the Mount Wharf extension has not been approved. Further hearings are expected once more information is provided and the adverse cultural effects on Whareroa Marae have been addressed.

Three tangata whenua groups have appealed the Interim Decision.

The Port has indicated their intention to lodge an application for this proposal under the Fast-track Approvals Act, bypassing the normal resource consent process under the Resource Management Act 1991. If a fast-track application is lodged and approved, Regional Council will be invited to comment on the application once a Hearing Panel has been established, but all decisions would be made by an expert panel.

Genera Limited

The resource consent granted to Genera Ltd to release fumigants (methyl bromide, phosphine, and EDN) into the air was appealed on 27 October 2023 by Clear the Air Trust and the Tauranga Fumigant Action Group. Ngāti Kuku also joined the appeal.

The hearing has now been held (4–6 November 2024) and we are waiting for direction from the courts on whether the updated conditions are acceptable or if another hearing is needed.

Lawter

This application was publicly notified on 17 November 2023, with 47 submissions received. The hearing was originally set for 9–10 September 2024 but was postponed. The hearing was delayed due to a request for additional consent under greenhouse gas regulations and took place on 24–25 February 2025. It was then adjourned, with commissioners requesting expert discussions, which are set to be completed by 19 March 2025, after which a decision will be made.

WM New Zealand (Waste Management Ltd)

This application was publicly notified late last year, with 10 submissions received. A hearing date is yet to be set but is likely to be in the second half of 2025 pending commissioner(s) availability.

Hexion (N.Z.) Limited

Hexion's application to discharge contaminants into the air has been accepted. They can continue operating under their existing consent while the new application is processed (section 124 of the Resource Management Act). The application is currently on hold, awaiting a cultural impact assessment. The Regional Council is undertaking technical reviews of this application in the interim. 

Plan Change 13: The final pieces of the puzzle

In 2020 the Regional Council adopted new, stricter air quality rules through Plan Change 13, many of which were focused on addressing dust issues in the Mount Maunganui industrial area. These rules were appealed by some local businesses and were only able to be implemented in February 2024 when those appeals were resolved, and an interim decision was issued by the Environment Court.

This decision also set in motion the following:

• Interim Permitted Activity Rule for Bulk solid Material and Log Handling (see update below)
• Proposed Provisions (awaiting Environment Court Decision) for Unsealed Yards. This includes a​​​n Interim Permitted Activity Rule (IPAR) that would require a Dust Management Plan for all unsealed yards, and last for three years. At the expiry of the three-year IPAR period, Permitted Activity status would still apply for unsealed yards smaller than 400m2. It also includes a Restricted Discretionary rule that would apply after three years for all unsealed yards 400m2 or larger.
• A new policy (Policy 12) to better manage activities which discharge fine dust, by using an iterative management approach (currently awaiting a decision by the Environment Court).

A strong recommendation was also issued by the Court to develop an  Action Plan to manage air quality in the Mount Maunganui Airshed. On Tuesday 18 February 2025, at our Strategy and Policy Committee meeting, Councillors agreed on an approach for this.

Staff are now working through the next steps to develop a Mount Maunganui Airshed Regulatory Implementation Action Plan in conjunction with additional parties with associated regulatory responsibilities to investigate possible regulatory implementation outside of the Regional Council’s role. Further updates will be provided.

Interim Permitted Activity Rule (IPAR)

The Interim Permitted Activity Rule (IPAR) was introduced in 2024 through an Environment Court process. It’s one of several measures that has come about from Plan Change 13, focused on reducing fine dust emissions.

Under this rule, businesses in the Mount Maunganui Airshed that handle logs or bulk solid materials (above certain thresholds) were required to submit a Dust Management Plan to Regional Council within six months of the IPAR rule becoming operative (12 February 2024). Affected businesses had to install an air quality monitor to measure fine dust in the air at 10-minute intervals and compare them to trigger values set in the IPAR. Any exceedance of the trigger value requires that an investigation report be provided to Council, examining the cause of the breach and mitigations to address these.

The IPAR allows affected businesses until 12 February 2027 to make changes to their business so they can meet the stricter air quality rules, or apply for a resource consent. If granted, these will take account of the effectiveness of mitigation measures and operating procedures and require that discharges of PM₁₀ to air are reduced to the greatest extent reasonably practicable.

The number of investigation reports that have been received is approaching 20. 

Air Quality Working Party

The Mount Air Quality Working Party held their first meeting for 2025 on Friday 21 February. The group includes representatives from Whareroa Marae, Clear the Air community group, Tauranga Moana Fumigation Action Group, Priority One, Toi Te Ora Public Health, Western Bay of Plenty District Health Board, Ministry for the Environment, Waka Kotahi, Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Tauranga City Council and various Mount Maunganui industries. In December last year the Working Party welcomed Paul Cooney as the new independent chair of the group which focuses on identifying actions which will positively impact on air quality within the Mount Maunganui airshed.

Additional information about the Working Party as well as previous meeting minutes and presentations can be found here.

Industrial Pollution Prevention Auditing programme

The Regional Council operates an Industrial Pollution Prevention Auditing programme across the region, this summer focussed on businesses in the Mount Maunganui industrial area. During this time:

• 300+ businesses were assessed for potential risk of discharges to air, land or water
• 137 businesses were full audited to check compliance with Regional Plan rules and receive guidance on any issues.

This is the fifth audit in the Mount Maunganui industrial area in 12 years, and staff found awareness of environmental responsibilities has noticeably improved. The audits focus on preventing environmental discharges from equipment failures and ensuring businesses are prepared to respond.

These visits are mainly educational, helping businesses understand their legal obligations and encouraging cleaner, more efficient operations.

Common issues identified:

• Operations discharging to air that need a resource consent
• Vehicle washing with detergents draining into stormwater.
• Poor solid waste management.
• Lack of spill response kits in workshops.
• Waste oil containers stored outside without proper bunding.

Businesses with issues have been given deadlines to show they have fixed them. Regional Council staff have been impressed with how quickly operators have taken action.

Latest Monitoring and Operations Committee Report

The Mount Maunganui Industrial Programme reports to the Monitoring and Operations Committee meeting. The most recent last Monitoring and Operations Committee meeting was held on Tuesday 11 March 2025 and the agenda can be found here.