Hawke's Bay Regional council offers help to clean up dirty smoking chimneys

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council said fire places emitting dirty smoke would receive help in the first instance. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay residents with fireplaces emitting dirty smoke would receive help in the first instance, not a fine.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Rex Graham said anyone reported to the council with a "smoky fireplace will, in the first instance, be offered assistance by the regional council to upgrade to a low emissions burner".

Graham said it was not the council's intention to "dob in your neighbour" but said residents needed to educate themselves on what materials were appropriate to burn and not to incinerate any materials that could release harmful toxins into the air.

Heat Smart Manager Mark Heaney said if residents had non-compliant wood burners in their homes, they ran the risk of somebody suggesting that their fire may be causing a 'nuisance' with its smoke.

"Both Napier and Hastings have bylaws in place to say that if you are nuisance burning one of their officers can come over and insist that the fire is put out.

"If you are a repeat offender with a non-compliant fire, the regional council would issue you with an abatement notice; if you still insist on using the fire, that would result in an infringement."

Graham said the regional council wanted to work with people in the first instance to improve air quality, rather than simply fine them if they were reported.

However, outdoor rubbish fires, particularly the burning of orchard prunings were a different matter.

"There are specific rules regulating these and the regional council has worked with the fruit growing community to ensure these rules are well known.

"Unfortunately this year we have had to issue more than 20 fines to people who have lit fires against the rules and contributed to poor winter air quality.

"This frustrates me as much as anyone when fires are lit on still winter days when smoke is obviously going to linger."

The HBRC monitors air quality in three urban locations in Napier, Hastings and Awatoto and periodically monitors wider areas to ensure they meet the national environmental standard for PM10.

The regional council lists a number of prohibited burning materials on their website such as peat, synthetic or plastic materials, treated or painted wood and chipboard, tyres and other rubber and more.

Graham said compliance staff could not be everywhere at once and there would be times when the public wanted to use the pollution hotline on 0800 108838.

More information on residential, horticultural and industrial burning could be found on the regional council's website https://www.hbrc.govt.nz/.