NIWA and schools combine to get to bottom of Cromwell’s air quality issues

August 16, 2021

Cromwell has some of the worst air pollution in the Otago region and it's been a lingering problem for years.

It is no secret the lower south of New Zealand is struggling to bring air quality measures under control.

By Jared McCulloch and Maddy Lloyd

Cromwell has some of the worst air pollution in Otago.

It is known for producing fresh fruit and wine, but not always fresh air, with pollution a lingering problem for years.

But NIWA is now stepping in to know more as it undertakes new research to look for solutions with the help of the community.

“Air quality has been a persistent problem in places like Otago for a long, long time, but not much is improving,” NIWA air quality scientist Ian Longley said.

“One of the things we wanted to look at is if people can engage… it's more about them… will that move them through to thinking more about what we can do about it.”

Smoke from fires and wood burners often linger over the town in winter. The Otago Regional Council admitted recently it does not have the money or resources to address the issue right now.

“We haven’t got the appropriate foundational platform to launch into a change process… this is not like flicking a switch, this is not like changing your car, for example, or painting your house… this is changing a culture that we've got in Otago,” Andrew Noone said.

The town has exceeded the National Environmental Standard for Air Quality more than 20 times so far this year, meaning the air is not at an acceptable level for human health.

So NIWA’s teaming up with the local schools and providing both indoor air quality sensors for students to take home and collect data, plus using outdoor monitors to capture a better picture of the problem.

Cromwell resident Robert Thomlinson is one of many who have switched to a low-emission fire to help reduce the issue.

For him and his family, it is a reliable source of heat.

“I would be reluctant [to give up my wood burner] given where we live, just on the basis of when we do lose power in the middle of winter, when the temperature goes south in a hurry,’ he said.

Thomlinson said he looked at several options other than a wood burner when building his home.

“Heat pumps… gas fires... and alternatives we looked at... [yeah] just not so much. It was really that preference in the kind of heat you get.”

But while low and even ultra-low fireplaces do reduce emissions, experts say it may not be enough.

“Otago has particularly tight rules around wood burners already. Our data is really going to try [and] understand whether those tight rules are sufficient or whether because of the mountain scenery, the valley location, the low winds… that means these locations have to work even harder to get the same good air quality as elsewhere in the country,” Longley said.

“We're not quite yet sure whether ultra-low emission burners are the right solution. They certainly reduced emissions but they don't eliminate emissions. Our study will help understand whether we need to start moving away from burning wood altogether.”

He says any move away from wood burning here requires long term investment.

“I think if we wait for individual householders to fund this, we're going to be waiting an awful long time... there's no doubt that it's some sort of Government level. We need to attack this problem in a concerted way and as soon as we possibly can.”

“If there was a way of yes going complete without fires... absolutely,” said Thomlinson.

It's hoped the trial and data will inspire change as the exact level of pollution becomes all too clear.

Concerns raised after Otago Regional Council hits pause on air quality work

Earlier this month, some Otago residents told 1 NEWS they were concerned for their health after the regional council pushed pause on most of its air quality work.

It’s left some concerned for their health.

While Otago and Southland have the worst pollution in Australasia, the Otago Regional Council said it doesn't have the money or resources to address it.

Among those affected is Glenn Blundell. He has a chronic inflammatory lung disease and is forced to remain indoors when Dunedin’s air pollution is at its worst.

“It's like you're in lockdown – everybody’s going on about this Covid for a lockdown. Well, I’ve virtually had lockdown since I've had this,” he said.

He wasn’t the only one surprised when the Otago Regional Council announced it would be putting its air quality work on hold for two years due to budget pressure.

“It's quite a shock to see a council think it can opt out of its responsibilities,” NIWA air quality scientist Dr Ian Longley said.

The main source of air pollution in the south is home fires.

The council has had an air quality plan – including subsidies for cleaner heating options – but the region is still failing to meet its national standards.

“We know other communities have been able to achieve better air quality over time and perhaps we can learn from them,” Otago Regional Council’s Andrew Noone said.

The council is now reviewing how it can improve after Christchurch developed clean air zones restricting the use of high emission burners.

Now experts say it’s time for the culture changed in Otago, too.

“I think we really need to get out into the communities and talk to them about how to change behaviour,” Otago University associate professor Nicolas Cullen said.

“We're not going to change the atmosphere and the atmospheric conditions so much, we have to try and reduce the emissions in some way and that’s going to be a human behaviour response.”

Longley agreed, adding that the Government would have to step in to make an impact.

“It's very expensive to change and improve your home heating - it can't really be done on a large scale without a degree of government leadership and government subsidy”.

Time isn’t on Blundell’s side, however.

“I’ve already been told I’ve already got two years to live - whether or not I have or not, we'll see - but if I’ve got longer, then I don't want to be stuck inside all the time,” he said.

Researcher looking at Milton's air pollution

Meanwhile, more work on air pollution is being done in Milton.

Otago University honours student Brydie Ockwell is looking at how the atmosphere can trap pollution close to the surface.

Otago University honours student Brydie Ockwell is looking at how the atmosphere can trap pollution close to the surface.

”Because yes, where the pollution comes from, like the source is really important - so chimneys and fires and things, but some nights if it's windy that smoke just gets blown away and we never have to deal with it at the surface, but on other nights the atmosphere is really stable and so the pollution just sits there right next to people’s houses.

“So if you're going outside, not just at night but in the early morning as well you can be really exposed to pretty high levels of air pollution.”

Her work involves releasing a giant helium filled balloon into the air, which collects data on the atmospheres temperature, and pollution in the atmosphere.

She hopes her work will give more in depth understanding of just how bad the issue is.

“What I’m really hoping to do is get a really clear picture of temperature throughout the atmosphere cause what I’m looking at is a thing called an inversion layer and that's warming as we go up into the atmosphere, they're really stable so they trap anything, nothing moves in the atmosphere basically.

“So I want to actually map the atmosphere in Otago and Canterbury - we know we've got a problem with air pollution, but a lot of the research has been based on models and computer simulations so actual data from the atmosphere is kinda thin on the ground but we need to know exactly what's happening in the atmosphere so that's what I’m hoping to get a better picture of.”

“I think potentially the problem's a bit worse than we realise cause we don't know too much about the atmosphere so I’m hoping that with more accurate models we can potentially prioritise this issue a little more is what I would like to see happen.”

She’s happy to see more work being done at a community level to help address the high air pollution in Southland and Otago.

“The ORC definitely are in a position to help make some positive change in this area, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other groups of people who are really interested, and not just you know figuring it out like myself, researching and learning but also making efforts at a community level to educate or to change people's burning habits.

“So yeah, there's still work ongoing even if it's not the you know Regional Council doing things.”

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