SmogRank / Cleaner or dirtier / New Zealand
New Zealand: cleaner or dirtier, 2026
In New Zealand, 5 cities have enough days in both years to compare 2026 so far (1 January to 6 October) with the same days of 2025: 2 got dirtier and 3 cleaner.
The 2 cities that got dirtier, biggest rise first
| # | City | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TimaruCanterbury, New Zealand | 53 | 54 | +0.6 µg/m³+6% |
| 2 | DunedinOtago, New Zealand | 35 | 37 | +0.3 µg/m³+5% |
The 3 cities that got cleaner, biggest fall first
| # | City | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KaiapoiCanterbury, New Zealand | 58 | 56 | −1.0 µg/m³−8% |
| 2 | ChristchurchCanterbury, New Zealand | 49 | 48 | −0.2 µg/m³−2% |
| 3 | RangioraCanterbury, New Zealand | 53 | 53 | −0.1 µg/m³−1% |
Means in US AQI over the days a city was measured in both years, the same calendar days each year; a city needs 55% of the days paired, and at least 30. The change is in µg/m³ and per cent. How we compare.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+
The US EPA's Air Quality Index for PM2.5 (2024 breakpoints). Show values as: µg/m³ · US AQI · India AQI · China AQI · European AQI · UK DAQI · Canada AQHI+. About the scales
Updated 2026-10-07 12:07 UTC. Values are PM2.5 (fine particles), the median of each city's monitors, as the US AQI PM2.5 sub-index.