Winter air quality monitoring for Carterton community health

A mobile air quality monitoring station has been installed at Carterton swimming pool for the winter to measure air pollution levels when there is an increase in wood burned for home heating.

The station has been set up by Greater Wellington’s environmental team in collaboration with Carterton District Council, as they have done every third winter since 2010. The station focuses on monitoring fine particles (PM2.5) which increases in the colder months when home heating by wood burning is more common. This also coincides with the months that the pool is closed, providing a setting for the station.

Cleaner home heating practices have health benefits for all says Greater Wellington councillor Adrienne Staples.

“Monitoring air pollution levels is an important step in protecting the health of those of us who live in Wairarapa,” says Cr Staples.

“It is encouraging that we’ve seen a gradual improvement in air quality as people’s older wood burners reach the end of their working life and are replaced with heat pumps or burners that meet the national environmental air quality design standard for emission limits.”

PM2.5 particles are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs says Greater Wellington senior environmental scientist, Tamsin Mitchell.

“These particles can be harmful to our health, especially for children, the elderly, and people with underlying heart or lung disease,” says Mitchell.  

“We see them increase during winter smog conditions when particles from home fires get trapped close to the ground by temperature inversions.”

The air quality monitoring station will continue to test air quality in Carterton until the end of August 2025.

More information about cleaner home heating and reducing woodsmoke emissions is available at Greater Wellington.