“It will be cold that will kill, not coal.”

There were strong words from Dunstan ward Otago Regional councillor Michael Laws at a meeting in Queenstown yesterday.

The ORC had held its monthly meeting in the Queenstown Lakes and made a decision to push on with its Regional Plan: Air despite opposition from Cr Laws and Cr Gary Kelliher.

That meant the regional council continued its work on a draft strategy to manage air quality in the region.

To achieve both Ministry for the Environment and World Health Organisation standards, non-low emission wood burners in Alexandra, Clyde and Cromwell would be phased out within the next 20 years.

It also meant a 42 per cent improvement in air quality and would bring health costs down to just $73million.

Dunstan ward councillor Michael Laws was a strong advocate for halting the region’s Regional Plan for Air until new central Government regulations came into effect in 2026. SUPPLIED

But Cr Laws and Cr Kelliher, have always maintained getting rid of old wood burners in Central Otago would do more harm than good, especially those pockets of communities with old housing stock.

Breaches of National air quality standards across Otago have continued to increase, with 37 in 2024 (11 in Alexandra, 25 in Arrowtown and one in Mosgiel) last year. That was 16 more than in 2023.

The council heard that the ORC was well behind others in the country such as Environment Canterbury and Nelson who were already meeting national air quality standards with their processes.

The ORC’s Air Plan was already 20 years old and Cr Alan Somerville said it was important they looked after the people in Otago, “because we know that the air quality does contribute to illness.”

But Cr Laws argued that as a Dunstan ward councillor living in the coldest populated area in winter and with the inversion layer and the increased cost of electricity, “it’s the cold that will kill not coal.”

Council chair Gretchen Robertson said what really mattered to communities was keeping warm in their homes and how they used their fires.

The draft strategy would come back to council in August and staff would undertake public engagement on the draft in September, October 2025, before being signed off in early 2026.

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