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Nelson, New Zealand

ARENA Noise Monitor

Independent, community-led noise monitoring around Nelson Airport. Real readings from real residents — GPS verified, timestamped, and publicly visible.

Submit a reading

Community noise data — Nelson Airport

Live readings submitted by residents via the ARENA app. All readings include GPS location, decibel level, timestamp, and event type.

Filtered readings
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Limit breaches
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After-hours events
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Active recorders
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About ARENA

ARENA — Airport Residents Environmental Noise Advocates — is a community group representing residents in the Nelson, New Zealand area affected by noise from Nelson Airport (NSN).

Why we exist

The runway extension

Nelson Airport Ltd (NAL) received resource consent to extend the airport runway. As a condition, NAL must offer a noise mitigation package to affected residents. ARENA's position is that any mitigation proposals must be based on accurate, independently verified real-world data — not estimates from NAL's own consultants.

Two firms engaged by NAL (Marshall Day and Tonkin & Taylor) produced reports containing errors and contradictions. ARENA will not accept mitigation based on that work.

What this platform does

Independent noise monitoring

This platform gives residents the tools to record, store, and demonstrate noise events independently of NAL. Every reading includes:

  • GPS-verified location — where the resident was standing
  • Decibel level — measured by the phone microphone
  • UTC timestamp — server-recorded, not device-dependent
  • Event type — flight landing/takeoff, engine testing, ground ops
  • Optional 10-second audio recording attached as evidence
  • Resident note — context the resident wants on record

All data is write-once — readings cannot be edited or deleted after submission. The evidence trail is permanent.

Noise limits

When noise becomes a breach

Nelson Airport operates under noise limits set in NAL's resource consent. Permitted levels vary by time of day:

  • 6:00am – 10:00pm — standard operational hours
  • 10:00pm – midnight — restricted hours, lower threshold
  • Midnight – 6:00am — quiet hours, minimal permitted noise

Engine testing is subject to these limits regardless of operational requirements. The current testing bay is outdated and Air New Zealand has declined capital expenditure to rectify this.

Reading the map

What the colours mean

  • Green — below the permitted limit for that time of day
  • Amber — elevated, approaching the limit
  • Red — breach, above the permitted limit

Phone microphone readings are not calibrated instruments. ARENA uses this data to identify patterns and hotspots, then deploys calibrated equipment at those locations.

Get involved

How to participate

If you live or work near Nelson Airport and are affected by noise, contribute readings using the ARENA app. Register with your name and email only — no home address required.

Download the ARENA app →

ARENA — Airport Residents Environmental Noise Advocates · Nelson, New Zealand · Back to monitor

Reports

Standard and ad-hoc reports for ARENA committee use. All reports draw from live Supabase data.

Standard reports
Breach summary

All readings exceeding permitted dB limits, grouped by time period. Includes resident notes and audio clip references.

After-hours events

All readings recorded between 10pm and 6am. Highlights engine testing and ground operations outside permitted hours.

Full dataset export

All readings with GPS, dB level, event type, breach status, resident notes, and audio clip file paths.

Recorder activity

Summary by registered user — reading count, breach count, date range, and zones covered.

Ad-hoc report
⚠ PDF export is a Phase 2 feature. CSV exports are available now. Audio clip paths in CSV reference Supabase Storage — admin bucket access required to retrieve files.