'Our neighbours are abusing us': Council chairman fumes at non-compliant fire lighters

Hastings breached the national standards for air pollution on both Saturday and Sunday. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay Regional Council's chairman has voiced his frustration at environmental degradation in the region, saying he sometimes questions why he even lives here.

At a council Regional Planning Committee on Tuesday Rex Graham let rip at those lighting non-compliant fires over winter, saying "we need to change our attitude".

Hastings breached the national standards for air pollution on both Saturday and Sunday, a blip in the council's plans to have no more than one day a year of exceedances by 2020.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council Chairman Rex Graham said we need to treat our environment better. Photo / File

"Yesterday ... I drove home and in front of me I saw this huge fire, gushing poisonous smoke towards Hastings, a huge orchard fire," Graham said.

"On Sunday I was at the [Hawke's Bay] Farmers Market and from about half a kilometre away you could see the fire raging and it was black smoke pouring straight into the inversion layer.

"I wonder why we even live in Heretaunga when our neighbours are abusing us, not just in the water, but in our air as well."

Long term trends show air quality in general is improving in the region, but Regional Council Principal Scientist Air Dr Kathleen Kozyniak says smoky fires in built-up areas pollute are still causing a health risk for residents.

Graham said economic prosperity need not come at the cost of the environment, pointing to areas of Europe such as Bavaria, Holland and Belgium.

"Munich is one of the most prosperous city's in the world, and you can swim in the river ... there are no fires in Munich, and there are rules governing their water.

"You cannot like a fire in Bavaria, you cannot light a fire in Holland or Belgium, an open fire."

Graham's comments came at the start of an environmentally focused discussion about the Tank plan, which focuses on the management of four major catchments in the Heretaunga area.

Tank stands for the Tūtaekurī, Ahuriri, Ngaruroro and Karamū catchments.

Graham said the Tank plan was about putting rules in place to govern water in Heretaunga to ensure people don't just "do what they want to do".

"We need rules, there is no doubt about that.

"Every Kiwi man has got a bloody chainsaw in his garage, and our DNA is about chopping trees down, and we need to change that.

"We need to change our attitude to our water, our rivers and our air."

Committee member Tania Hopmans said there were four concerns the tangata whenua representatives of the committee had over Tank.

They were flow enhancement provisions, water usage, more detail being put in the plan regarding the relationship between tangata whenua and their taonga (in this case water), and how the Tank plan change relates to another plan change regarding outstanding water bodies.

No decision was reached regarding the Tank plan change at the meeting.

A Hawke's Bay Regional Council spokespersons said while no decision had been reached, the committee had identified areas which needed to be resolved before the plan was publicly notified.