About us Careers & education Publications & notices Health Awareness & Events Calendar
Te Whatu Ora - Nelson Marlborough Nelson Marlborough District Health Board small logo

  • Patients & Visitors

    Patients & Visitors

    Visiting policy, hours & guidelines
    Hospital locations, parking & maps
    Cafés and shops
    Patient rights and privacy
    • • Our duty of care
    • • Health & Disability Commission Code of Rights
    • • Your health information
    • • Transparency statement
    • • How to give feedback
    Patient travel
    • • Financial support for travel and accommodation
    • • Transfers and transport between hospitals
    • • Shuttle services for transport to local appointments
    Patient support services
    • • Hospital chaplaincy
    • • Te Waka Hauora Māori health services
    • • Health and disability service advocacy
    • • Advance Care Planning
    • • My Health Passport
    • • Advance Directive in Mental Health | Whakaaro Pono
    Preparing for a hospital visit or stay
    Eligibility criteria for free healthcare
    Telehealth - Phone & Video Appointments
    Feedback 500x299
    Compliments and complaints

    To help us to better understand patient experiences, and improve the way we work, we welcome your feedback.

    Submit your feedback
  • Hospitals & Healthcare Providers

    Hospitals & Healthcare Providers

    General practices
    Community health centres
    • • Richmond Health Hub
    • • Marlborough Health Hub
    • • Motueka Health Centre
    • • Golden Bay Health Centre
    After hours and emergency services
    • • Nelson
    • • Marlborough
    • • Motueka
    • • Golden Bay
    • • Murchison
    Hospitals
    • • Nelson Hospital
    • • Wairau Hospital
    • • Alexandra Hospital
    • • Murchison Hospital
  • Public Health

    Public Health Service

    Health and wellbeing services
    • • Nelson Marlborough public health nursing service
    • • Alcohol harm prevention
    • • Communicable illnesses
    • • Hapori Fruit & Veg Box
    • • Hepatitis C treatment
    • • Immunisations
    • • Sexual and reproductive health services
    • • Smokefree and Stop Smoking Services
    Children and youth: Services and initiatives
    • • Adolescent oral health service
    • Adolescent oral health service
    • • B4 school check programme
    • • Bikes in Schools Programme
    • • Child oral health service
    • Child oral health service
    • • Childhood immunisation
    • • Oral health education
    • Oral health education
    • View all..
    Health and wellbeing initiatives
    • • Hauora rangatahi (healthy youth)
    • • Healthy kai
    • • Healthy homes
    • • Household safety
    • • Mental wellbeing
    • • Psychosocial Support after an Emergency
    • • Workplace wellbeing
    Environmental health: Services and initiatives
    • • Biosecurity and safety at NZ borders
    • • Burial and cremation duties
    • • Drinking-water supply safety
    • • Hazardous substance management
    • • Resource Management Act duties
  • Health Services

    Health Services

    A-Z health services
    Disability support services
    Allied health services
    • • Audiology
    • • Equipment returns
    • • Nutrition and dietetics
    • • Occupational therapy
    • • Orthotics
    • • Physiotherapy
    • • Social work
    • • Speech and language therapy
    • • Clinical psychology
    Community and outpatient services
    • • Allied health services
    • • Cancer screening and support services
    • • Community pharmacies
    • • Disability Support Services
    • • District nursing
    • View all..
    Family health services
    • • Child health
    • • Child and Family/Whānau Safety Service
    • • Maternity Services
    • • Neonatal units
    • • Paediatrics
    • • Women’s health
    Māori health services
    • • Kaupapa Māori cancer support services
    • • Māori community health services
    • • Māori mental health services
    • • Pēpi First
    • • Stop smoking support services
    • View all..
    Medical and surgical services
    • • Assessment, treatment and rehabilitation
    • • Hospital pharmacies
    • • Radiology services
    • • Cardiology services
    • • Emergency departments
    • View all..
    Mental health and addiction services
    • • Acute and urgent mental health services
    • • Inpatient and Outpatient Specialist Mental Health Services
    • • Community mental health services
    • • Child and youth mental health services
    • • Older Persons' Mental Health
    • • Alcohol and drug addiction services
    • • Free Phone Helplines
    • • Suicide prevention
    • • Advance Directive in Mental Health
    Telehealth - Phone & Video Appointments
  • Contact

    Contact

    Visiting hours
    Hospital parking and maps
    Give feedback
    General contact details
    After hours and emergency services
    Hospital contact details
    Community and outpatient services
    Official information act requests
    Media requests
    Healthline 500
    Healthline

    Healthline is here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Phone calls are free from within New Zealand – this includes calls from a mobile phone.

    View Healthline's website
  • About Us

    About Us

    About Te Whatu Ora - Nelson Marlborough
    • Our governance structure
    Careers & education
    • • Our vacancies
    • • Your career with us
    • • Resident medical officers
    • • Nurse Entry to Practice (NetP) programme
    • • Nursing Entry to Specialist Practice (NeSP) programme
    • • Midwifery education for students and workforce
    • • Allied Health Scientific & Technical careers
    • View all..
    Emergency management and planning
    • • Preparing yourself for an emergency
    • • COVID-19 Updates & Information
    Ki Te Pae Ora - Our new way of working
    Projects
    • • Nelson Hospital Redevelopment - Project Whakatupuranga
    • • Models of Care Programme
    • • Register for email alerts
    Privacy, copyright & disclaimer
    Ways to Contribute as a Consumer

Environmental health: Services and initiatives

  • Burial and cremation duties
  • Drinking-water supply safety
  • Resource Management Act duties
  • Hazardous substance management
  • Biosecurity and safety at NZ borders
  1. Public Health
  2. Environmental health: Services and initiatives
  3. • Resource Management Act duties

Resource Management Act duties


About environmental health and resource management

  • environmental health is the study of how the natural environment influences human health and disease

  • the Resource Management Act governs how New Zealand's environment is managed

  • Public Health Service staff use the Act to promote and protect public health

  • Public Health Service staff work with local councils and make submissions on council policies, plans and resource consents that could potentially affect public health.


The Nelson Marlborough Public Health Service focus on the following environmental health topics:

Air quality

 

Nelson Marlborough Public Health Service staff work with councils, often within the Resource Management Act framework, to address air pollution.

Air pollution from industrial, domestic and vehicle sources can cause acute and chronic conditions and reduced life expectancy. More than 80 per cent of New Zealanders live and work in urban areas where air pollution can be present.

Some district health boards have position statements about home heating methods and the need to improve the thermal efficiency of homes. This is because appliances such as open fires and older wood burners produce a lot of air-polluting emissions.

Useful links:

Overview of air quality 

Quality Planning website  

Contaminated land


Nelson Marlborough Public Health Service staff offer advice about contaminated land.

They also work with councils, often within the Resource Management Act framework, to address contaminated land issues.

Land becomes contaminated through the manufacture, use, storage and disposal of hazardous substances. While contamination is usually associated with industrial activities, the use of hazardous substances in agriculture and residential settings also leads to contamination.

People and animals are exposed to contaminants by:

  • handling soil
  • ingesting soil or eating produce grown on contaminated land
  • drinking contaminated ground- or surface water
  • inhaling contaminated particles 

The health risk associated with contaminated soil will depend on the type of hazardous substance, the exposure route and the length of time a person is exposed.

Useful links:

Ministry for the Environment land information 

Environmental noise

Nelson Marlborough Public Health Service staff work with councils on environmental noise planning under the Resource Management Act.

Staff also have access to expert advice provided by the Ministry of Health.

Environmental noise is unwanted or undesirable noise that may affect people's health and well-being. Its adverse effects include:

  • interference with speech communication

  • disturbance of rest and sleep

  • psycho-physiological, mental health and performance effects

  • effects on residential behaviour and annoyance

  • interference with activities.

Environmental noise in New Zealand is controlled by councils under the Resource Management Act. Council staff respond to noise complaints and undertake noise level measurements.

 

Recreational water

Nelson Marlborough Health's Public Health Service issues warnings when beaches and rivers are contaminated by faecal micro-organisms and toxic algae.

From November to March, councils test water at popular swimming spots. If the test results exceed the maximum level allowed, they notify the Public Health Service.

If recreational water is contaminated by human or animal faeces, the presence of disease-causing micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses and protozoa) is likely. Freshwater (rivers) may also contain harmful toxic algae (cyanobacteria).

Useful references

  • Search the Land Air Water Aotearoa website for information about the quality of swimming spots in your region
  • Microbiological Water Quality Guidelines for Marine and Freshwater Recreational Areas [Ministry for the Environment website]
  • New Zealand Guidelines for Cyanobacteria in Recreational Fresh Waters: Interim guidelines [Ministry for the Environment website]

Sewage and waste management

Nelson Marlborough Health's Public Health Service works with regional councils to protect public health under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and Resource Management Act frameworks.

Councils are responsible for managing regional waste systems. They are also responsible for the re-entry of treated waste or waste by-products into the environment.

The associated public health risks include:

  • the escape of landfill gas and leachate
  • contamination of rivers and beaches due to sewage effluent

 

Useful links:

Waste strategy and legislation 


Page last updated: 29/03/2023
  • Home
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Visiting policy, hours & guidelines
    • Hospital locations, parking & maps
    • Patient rights and privacy
      • • Our duty of care
      • • Health & Disability Commission Code of Rights
      • • Your health information
      • • Transparency statement
      • • How to give feedback
        • Feedback form
    • Patient travel
      • • Financial support for travel and accommodation
      • • Transfers and transport between hospitals
      • • Shuttle services for transport to local appointments
    • Patient support services
      • • Hospital chaplaincy
      • • Te Waka Hauora Māori health services
      • • Health and disability service advocacy
      • • Advance Care Planning
      • • My Health Passport
      • • Advance Directive in Mental Health | Whakaaro Pono
    • Preparing for a hospital visit or stay
    • Eligibility criteria for free healthcare
    • Cafés and shops
    • Telehealth - Phone & Video Appointments
  • Hospitals & Healthcare Providers
    • General practices
    • Community health centres
      • • Richmond Health Hub
      • • Marlborough Health Hub
      • • Motueka Health Centre
      • • Golden Bay Health Centre
    • After hours and emergency services
      • • Nelson
      • • Marlborough
      • • Motueka
      • • Golden Bay
      • • Murchison
    • Hospitals
      • • Nelson Hospital
      • • Wairau Hospital
      • • Alexandra Hospital
      • • Murchison Hospital
  • Public Health
    • About the Public Health Service
    • Health and wellbeing services
      • • Nelson Marlborough public health nursing service
        • Public health nurse referral form
      • • Alcohol harm prevention
        • Mocktail mixer guide
        • Dry July 2022
      • • Communicable illnesses
      • • Hapori Fruit & Veg Box
      • • Hepatitis C treatment
      • • Immunisations
      • • Sexual and reproductive health services
        • Sexual and reproductive health services
        • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
        • Contraception
        • Sexual abuse and sexual assault
        • Cervical cancer screening
      • • Smokefree and Stop Smoking Services
        • Stop Smoking Service referral form
    • Children and youth: Services and initiatives
      • Accessing urgent dental care during Alert Level 3
      • • Adolescent oral health service
      • Adolescent oral health service
      • • B4 school check programme
      • • Bikes in Schools Programme
      • • Child oral health service
        • Pre-Enrolment Community Oral Health Services - Nelson
        • Pre-Enrolment Community Oral Health Services - Richmond
        • Pre-Enrolment Community Oral Health Services - Stoke
        • Pre-Enrolment Community Oral Health Services - Motueka
        • Pre-Enrolment Community Oral Health Services - Tasman
        • Pre-Enrolment Community Oral Health Services - Blenheim
        • Pre-Enrolment Community Oral Health Services - Wider Marlborough
      • Child oral health service
      • • Childhood immunisation
      • • Oral health education
        • The best drinks for a healthy smile
        • Tips for a healthy smile
      • Oral health education
      • • Safe sleep for babies
    • Health and wellbeing initiatives
      • • Hauora rangatahi (healthy youth)
      • • Healthy kai
      • • Healthy homes
        • Making your home warm
        • Keeping your home warm and dry
      • • Household safety
      • • Mental wellbeing
      • • Psychosocial Support after an Emergency
      • • Workplace wellbeing
    • Environmental health: Services and initiatives
      • • Biosecurity and safety at NZ borders
      • • Burial and cremation duties
      • • Drinking-water supply safety
        • Temporary water supplies and water supplies at events
        • Self-supplies and household supplies
        • Rural agricultural
        • Emergency water
        • Water conservation
        • Boil water notices
        • Household water supply
        • Community water supplies (or ‘networked supplies’)
        • Tank drinking-water safety
        • Drinking water flouridation
      • • Hazardous substance management
      • Hygiene and clean water during a flood
      • • Resource Management Act duties
  • Health Services
    • A-Z health services
    • Allied health services
      • • Audiology
      • • Equipment returns
      • • Nutrition and dietetics
      • • Occupational therapy
      • • Orthotics
      • • Physiotherapy
        • Education: Hip or knee replacement surgery
      • • Social work
      • • Speech and language therapy
      • • Clinical psychology
    • Community and outpatient services
      • • Allied health services
      • • Cancer screening and support services
        • Bowel screening
        • Breast screening
        • Cervical screening
        • Prostate screening
        • Kaupapa Māori cancer support services
        • Cancer support services
      • • Community pharmacies
      • • Disability Support Services
        • About disability support services
        • Intellectual disability support services
        • Physical disability support services
        • Day services
        • Residential respite for children and young adults
        • Contact details
        • Disability services for under-65s
      • • District nursing
      • • Emergency dental care
      • • Hepatitis C treatment
      • • Medlab South
      • • Needs Assessment Service
        • Locations and contact details
      • • Oral health services (dental care)
        • Child oral health service
        • Adolescent oral health service
        • Oral health education
        • Hospital dental services
      • • Palliative care
      • • Services for older people
      • • Sexual and reproductive health services
      • • Stop smoking support services
      • • Surgical outpatient services
    • Disability support services
    • Family health services
      • • Child health
      • • Child and Family/Whānau Safety Service
      • • Maternity Services
        • Antenatal & postnatal classes and education
      • • Neonatal units
      • • Paediatrics
      • • Women’s health
        • Gynaecology
        • Colposcopy
    • Māori health services
      • • Kaupapa Māori cancer support services
      • • Māori community health services
      • • Māori mental health services
      • • Pēpi First
      • • Stop smoking support services
      • • Te Waka Hauora hospital service
      • • Useful links
      • • Wānanga Hapūtanga: kaupapa Māori pregnancy and parenting programme
    • Medical and surgical services
      • • Assessment, treatment and rehabilitation
      • • Hospital pharmacies
      • • Radiology services
      • • Cardiology services
      • • Emergency departments
      • • Medical unit
      • • Neurology services
      • Endocrinology services
      • Gastroenterology services
      • Haematology services
      • Nephrology (renal medicine) services
      • Respiratory medicine
      • Plastic surgery
      • Day stay procedures
      • Oncology (cancer treatment)
      • Oncology (cancer) services
        • Kaupapa Māori cancer support services
        • Cancer support services
        • Oncology nursing service
        • Hospital oncology services
      • Hospital dental services
    • Mental health and addiction services
      • • Acute and urgent mental health services
      • • Inpatient and Outpatient Specialist Mental Health Services
      • • Community mental health services
        • Nikau Hauora Hub
      • • Child and youth mental health services
      • • Older Persons' Mental Health
      • • Alcohol and drug addiction services
      • • Free Phone Helplines
      • • Suicide prevention
      • • Advance Directive in Mental Health
    • Telehealth - Phone & Video Appointments
      • Why choose telehealth?
      • Support to try telehealth
      • Telephone appointment: How-to-guide
      • How-to-Guides
  • Contact
    • General contact details
    • After hours and emergency services
    • Hospital contact details
    • Community and outpatient services
    • Visiting hours
    • Hospital parking and maps
    • Give feedback
    • Official information act requests
    • Media requests
  • About Us
    • About Te Whatu Ora - Nelson Marlborough
      • Our governance structure
    • Careers & education
      • • Our vacancies
      • • Your career with us
      • • Resident medical officers
      • • Nurse Entry to Practice (NetP) programme
      • • Nursing Entry to Specialist Practice (NeSP) programme
      • • Midwifery education for students and workforce
      • • Allied Health Scientific & Technical careers
      • • Health Workforce New Zealand postgraduate funding for registered nurses
      • • Career Development Scholarship Fund
      • • Hauora Māori workforce training
      • • Living in Nelson & Marlborough
      • • Health Innovation Awards
    • Emergency management and planning
      • • Preparing yourself for an emergency
      • • COVID-19 Updates & Information
    • Ki Te Pae Ora - Our new way of working
    • Projects
      • • Nelson Hospital Redevelopment - Project Whakatupuranga
      • • Models of Care Programme
        • About the Models of Care Programme
        • Principles behind the Models of Care Programme
        • PROJECT: Supporting families to give babies the best start to life (Hei Pa Harakeke)
        • PROJECT: Supporting general practices to sustainable patient-focused healthcare hubs
        • PROJECT: A new Medical Admissions and Planning Unit for Nelson Hospital
        • PROJECT: Using virtual health technologies to improve care
        • PROJECT: Improving the coordination of healthcare within the community
        • PROJECT: Improving communication between health professionals
        • PROJECT: Sharing information securely for improved patient care
        • PROJECT: Growing a healthcare workforce for the future
        • PROJECT: Health assessments for vulnerable communities
      • • Register for email alerts
    • Privacy, copyright & disclaimer
    • Ways to Contribute as a Consumer
    • Consumer Council Documentation
    • Population Data
  • Quick Links
  • About us
  • Careers & education
  • Publications & notices
  • Health Awareness & Events Calendar

Patients & Visitors

  • Visiting hours
  • Eligibility and fees
  • Hospital parking and maps
  • Patient travel
  • Patient support services

Health Services

  • A-Z health services
  • Allied Health Services
  • Community and Outpatient Services
  • Disability support services
  • Family Health Services
  • Medical and Surgical Services
  • Māori Health Services
  • Mental Health and Addictions Services
  • Needs Assessment Service (formerly Support Works)

Public Health

  • A-Z public health services
  • About Public Health
  • Children and youth: Services and initiatives
  • Environmental health: Services and initiatives
  • Health and well-being services
  • Health and well-being initiatives

 

Hospitals & Community Facilities

  • General practices
  • Community health centres
  • After-hours and emergency services
  • Hospitals
  • Medlab South

About Us

  • About Te Whatu Ora Nelson Marlborough
  • Emergency management and planning
  • News and publications
  • Privacy, copyright and disclaimer
  • Ways to contribute as a consumer

Careers & Education

  • Our vacancies
  • Health Workforce New Zealand postgraduate funding
  • Living in the Nelson Marlborough region
  • Hauora Māori workforce training
  • Resident medical officers

Contact us


By Phone

For a full list of the convenient ways that you can contact us, refer to the contact page.


Privacy | Disclaimer | Copyright

Connect with us


Staff

  • Staff resources
NMDHB logo

© 2023 Te Whatu Ora - Nelson Marlborough. All Rights Reserved.