Arrowtown becomes home to densest air monitoring network

Take a closer look at the picturesque streets of Arrowtown and you may spot tiny sensors, making up what's thought to be the world's densest air monitoring network. It's part of a NIWA project, which began in June last year, and will number 70 sensors by the end of this winter. The data has pointed to home heating, like wood burners, as the biggest cause of the town's pollution, where the density of airborne particles can reach six times the national standard. Air quality scientist Dr Ian Longley says now there's a sensor every hundred metres around the town, it will be possible to see how different home heating systems affect air quality. Today, NIWA's switching on a website where residents will be able to see the data for themselves.