Hawke's Bay air quality appears to be improving and it could be due to weather and the actions of locals.
National environmental standards for air quality were introduced in 2004, with regional councils and unitary authorities identifying areas where air quality could reach levels higher than the national air quality standards. Those areas were called airsheds and most were designated because of concerns about levels of smoke and soot (PM10) at certain times of year.
During winter 2013, the Hawke's Bay region had 16 exceedances in the Hastings airshed, five in the Napier airshed and one in the Awatoto airshed, according to Hawke's Bay Regional Council figures.
In winter 2014, it had five exceedances in the Hastings airshed and one in the Napier airshed. There's been just one in the region so far this winter.
Regional council senior climate and air scientist Dr Kathleen Kozyniak said there had been good uptake of loans and subsidies for cleaner forms of heating. The region was starting to see the impact of those cleaner forms on air quality. Last winter was also milder and windier than usual, which would have had helped improve air quality.