This may be of interest to asthma suffers thinking that New Zealand’s Clean, Green environment may provide some relief from their condition.
New Zealand has the world’s second highest prevalence of asthma in the world (source Asthma and Respiratory Foundation) with hospital admission rates for asthma doubling in 30 years.
Some locations often fail air quality standards. For instance Mosgiel fails air quality PM10 standards about 8 times a year. See warning on Mosgiel pollution. The pollution is caused mainly by domestic heating appliances although one emission source in the north east of the town contributes about 7% to the total.
Other towns are said to have breached the national standard more frequently- Arrowtown has failed 29 times and Milton 19.
In June Environment Minister Nick Smith admitted that 10 NZ cities and towns were unlikely to meet air quality targets by the year 2013, he said that the overwhelming proportion of pollution is caused by home fires, and to a lesser extent vehicles.
About two third of New Zealanders live in locations where they are exposed to air pollution but it’s a significant problem in some some areas. Approximately 1,100 people die prematurely in urban areas from air pollution every year
For the effects of this type of pollution and comments about the problem being compounded by ‘scarily cold houses’ see NZ’s high winter death rate and burning wood to keep warm.
E2NZ.org 
The true cost of “clean and green” is going to hit the pocketbooks soon.
Good thing that people value a pure environment in NZ /s
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/05/29/31264/want-clean-water-itll-cost-you
MAY 29 2017
Lynn Grieveson
Lynn Grieveson is sub-editor at Newsroom Pro and a contributing photographer to Newsroom.
Want clean water? It’ll cost you
The Government, along with local government, is sending out a message that, if New Zealanders want improved water quality, they are going to have to accept higher Council rates – and even higher section and house prices.
It was standing room only at the Freshwater Symposium in Wellington yesterday, with Local Government President Lawrence Yule interrupted by a stream of people bringing in extra chairs as he talked of water as “the issue of the moment – in terms of the economy, in terms of the environment and in terms of people’s values”.
Describing the increasing debate over water quality (as well as the bottling of water for export) as “an emotional response”, Yule said the shift to water becoming a mainstream issue was partly down to a good economy which had seen ordinary mums and dads able to worry about “value-based things” that previously only “diehard” people were concerned about.
Note: The human body is 60% water. And the stuff that can do you in over the long term, quite a lot of it is soluble. I don’t think it’s “diehard” to worry about water quality, but it seems many governments in the world know the effectiveness of “shaming tactics”/”psychological manipulation” and use them on their constituents.
Somewhat related to “clean and green”, is the idea of “community mindedness”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/66028200/Mascot-of-Nydia-Bay-Ella-the-eel-killed-for-bait
Naturally, what those 2 youths did in killing an “identified as valuable, thus not to be disturbed in a way injury occurs” was “unethical, but not illegal”, so they will not be named.
Nobody managed to take their pictures, either.
And, apparently they also did a bit of shooting there.
It seems like there is a lot of tolerance for hooliganism that doesn’t injure another human being in NZ.
In short, no blood, no foul … no matter what other damage is done.