A new report into air pollution has found that it is causing the premature death of more than 1,000 New Zealanders every year.
Health and Pollution in New
Zealand , a four-year study by health experts, found that one
in 20 people die earlier than they would have because of pollution
caused by open fireplaces, dirty fumes from vehicle exhausts and
factories.
But the lead researcher into the government funded report says it
is not just people in large cities that are affected.
"Places like Alexandra, and small towns like Tokoroa, Rotorua, Taumarunui, Winton - all these places that use home heating and burn things a lot can have quite high levels," says researcher Gavin Fisher.
The report, which covered 70 urban areas and surveyed 75% of the country's population, found that towns and cities that rely heavily on wood burners had some of the worst pollution.
Nelson, Alexandra and central Christchurch topped the list.
"Christchurch has been in the spotlight since the 1930's on this issue but now we're seeing other parts of the country including some quite small towns with similar or even greater problems," says Fisher.
David Jackson, from Nelson District Council says: "We've known for a few years that we're right up there, but we're also right up there in terms of doing something about it.
Alexandra in Central Otago is listed third worst in the report.
"Central Otago is one of the coldest places for the longest times in New Zealand," says Malcolm MacPherson, Central Otago District Mayor.
"We rely on solid fuel, we burn a lot of it and we need it to keep warm."
The report's authors say many towns will need to think like Christhurch and Nelson, where programmes are well underway to ban open domestic fires.
At this time of the year domestic fires push pollution levels up, but vehicle and factory emissions play a major part as well
The report calculates that each year 1,100 people will die earlier than they should have because of air pollution, putting an estimated financial burden on the health system of $1.3 billion.
"It just weakens the body generally so people become more frail and they can die earlier or get illnesses that they wouldn't have had otherwise, living in a clean environment," says Fisher.
The government says it has already implemented initiatives to address air pollution including:
Agreed national environmental standards introduced in 2004, to improve air quality by 2013
Major new sustainable housing initiatives such as the New Zealand wide Warm Homes project, or regional initiatives such as Environment Canterbury's Clean Heat programme
Transport measures to reduce harmful emissions.
Off the back of the report the Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association (IMVDA) Chief executive David Vinsen says dirty vehicles are a big problem and the government needs to do more.
"The used vehicle trade is united in recommending that government takes bold action to deal with this problem," says Vinsen.
He says the government's interventions to deal with vehicle pollution are ad hoc.
"Their own research shows that their latest proposal will only
reduce air pollution from vehicles by a maximum of half a percent
over the next 18 years. This is obviously not good enough," says
Vinsen.
