Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Auckland region under environmental pressure - report

Updated at 9:58 am on 18 March 2010

Aucklanders are being warned they are contributing to the region's steady environmental decline.

The regional council's State of the Region report covers air, fresh water, marine, land and biodiversity.

The council's group manager of monitoring and research, Grant Barnes, says huge population growth is placing enormous pressure on the environment.

Mr Barnes says while there have been some small gains they are in the context of an overall environmental decline, including more pollution.

He says the changes needed start with such things as individuals producing less rubbish and using more public transport.

One of the major concerns in a regional council report is air pollution caused largely by home heating, and vehicle emissions.

The report says the region is getting 35 new vehicles every day.

It says air pollution sometimes causes a brown haze over the city and costs millions each year in health care.

The Campaign for Better Transport says the city needs better infrastructure to reduce dependence on cars.

The group says it's too dangerous to walk and cycle in many parts of the region and the reliability of public transport has slipped.

Copyright © 2010, Radio New Zealand