Asbestos

About asbestos and ACMs

Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral made up of small, strong fibres. It was widely used in building materials in New Zealand between the 1940s and mid-1980s.

The building industry mostly stopped using asbestos in New Zealand by the late 1980s. A total ban was applied on its use in 2016.

ACM

An ACM is a material that contains more than 1 per cent of asbestos. Examples of ACMs include:

• insulation boards
• cement sheeting
• vinyl flooring
• roof tiles.

Identifying asbestos

If you think you have materials that contain asbestos, you should have them tested by a professional.

Visit IANZ and search 'asbestos' for a list of accredited asbestos testing services. This will help you decide how to handle the materials.

We do not provide an asbestos testing service for the public.

Examples of ACM found on Auckland’s eastern coastline

Disposing of asbestos

Use a professional asbestos removal company to dispose of asbestos. Visit Worksafe for a list of certified asbestos removers.

Transfer stations in Auckland do not accept asbestos.

Our staff and contractors will not collect items they think contain asbestos. This includes items you put out for inorganic collections.

Visit How to get rid of asbestos for more information.

Health risks of asbestos

'Friable' asbestos can be crumbled into powder by hand. This can release toxic asbestos fibres into the air. If inhaled, these fibres can cause serious health risks like mesothelioma and lung cancer.

'Non-friable' asbestos is less of a health risk. It is secured in a solid material like cement and cannot crumble by hand. This material only becomes hazardous if it crumbles.

Health risks from asbestos are at their lowest when it is wet.

Asbestos on Tāmaki Estuary beaches

ACM found on the beaches and in mudflats between Karaka Bay and Panmure Wharf are non-friable. This material is a low health risk when left untouched.

Health risks come from inhaling asbestos fibres. These are unlikely to be released from materials found on these beaches unless they dry and crumble.

Health risks from ACM on these beaches are further reduced because:

• they are wet
• fibres are washed away by sea water
• the pieces are small and do not break easily.

Most ACM found on our beaches is in the form of old building materials like fibre cement board.

If you pick up a piece of ACM and take it home, there is a higher risk that fibres will be released. This happens when the material dries out and if the cement crumbles.

Do not pick up any material that could be ACM.

Visiting Tāmaki Estuary beaches

It is still safe to visit beaches on the Tāmaki Estuary.

The material found on these beaches is a form of bonded asbestos (asbestos-cement) which is a low-level health risk.

What we are doing about asbestos on our beaches

We are:

• monitoring affected areas
• further monitoring ACM released from mudflats after tidal or weather events
• removing visible ACMs through beach clean-ups
• installing warning signs at entrances to affected beaches and mudflats
• updating beach users and residents on social media, local news and the council website
• using experts to carry out a detailed site investigation (DSI). We will publish the DSI report at a public forum.

ACM clean-up dates

Our Environmental Health team began removing visible ACM in February 2025 at:

• Anderson’s Bay
• Dunkirk Reserve
• Glendowie Bay
• Karaka Bay
• Panmure Yacht Club
• Point England Reserve
• Tahuna Torea Nature Reserve
• Wai-O-Taiki Bay.

Professional asbestos removalists completed a round of clean-ups in June 2025 at:

• Glendowie Bay (two clean-ups)
• Karaka Bay
• Point England
• Panmure Wharf
• Anderson’s Bay.

We will continue ongoing and regular ACM clean-ups at beaches in these areas.

Email healthenforcement@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for our clean-up schedules.

More information about asbestos

Visit Worksafe for information about managing and working with asbestos.

Visit Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand for information about asbestos and your health.