Community air: Air quality issues in NZ towns

Community Air is a family of research studies, community projects and commercial services that empower local communities to engage with, assess and tackle local air quality issues.

Community Air is a family of research studies, community projects and commercial services that empower local communities to engage with, assess and tackle local air quality issues.

Community Air projects cover four themes:

  • Air Aware  – learning experiences to build awareness.
  • Air Grid – using the latest grid monitoring technology to map air quality in fine detail.
  • Air Watch – empowering the public to monitor air quality in their homes, classrooms and neighbourhoods.
  • Air Action – enabling householders and building managers to trial air quality solutions.

Community Air packages can be designed for the needs of specific communities. We work with regional councils, education providers, health service providers and other researchers.

Community Air projects can range from training and activity days for schools to major, multi-year initiatives to transform air local quality.

If you’re interested in bringing any part of Community Air to your community please get in touch.

Air Quality: Monitoring for healthier homes
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    Air Aware: Learning experiences to build awareness about air quality

    Learning experiences to build awareness about air quality
  • Air Grid: using grid monitoring to map air quality

    Research Project
    Air quality is almost never consistent across NZ’s towns – polluted air can readily be transported on the breeze and accumulate in different locations.
  • Colin Anderson - Volunteer air watcher from Invercargill

    Air Watch

    Empowering the public to monitor air quality
  • Air Action: enabling householders and building managers to trial air quality solutions

    Air Action

    Enabling householders and building managers to trial air quality solutions
  • Community Air Watch Arrowtown

    Research Project
    Community Air Watch Arrowtown enables members of the public to use new technologies to participate in studies of air quality.
  • Community Air Watch Invercargill

    Research Project
    Community Air Watch Invercargill enables members of the public to use new technologies to participate in studies of air quality.
  • Air quality project with Alexandra primary school

    Air quality in Arrowtown - 2019 Arrowtown School project

    NIWA worked with Year 8 students at Arrowtown School to analyse, visualise and communicate air quality data.
  • Air quality issues in New Zealand towns: outdoor air quality animations

    Research Project
    Animations showing wind conditions and air quality over 24-hour periods across study towns during winter 2021 and 2020.
  • Air quality monitoring with low-cost sensors

    Service
    NIWA provides ambient air quality monitoring services using low-cost ODIN (Outdoor Dust Information Node) sensors.
  • Schools Air Watch

    Research Project
    Schools Air Watch enables school classes to use new technologies to participate in a study of air quality in their own community.