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Half the outdoor boat motors being imported are banned for sale in most of the Western world _ including the countries that make them _ because of their poor pollution record.
About 9000 outboards motors are imported annually and half are high emission two-stroke carburated or fuel injection engines.
At a presentation at the Viaduct Harbour yesterday, industry representatives and Associate Transport Minister Judith Tizard heard the two-stroke engines produced up to 10 times more emissions of pollutants such as hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrate than four stroke engines.
A 15 horsepower two-stroke engine produces twice the emissions of a new technology 150 horsepower engine 10 times its size.
Gary Fooks, an emissions researcher and senior lecturer at Brisbane University, says the residual pollutants from two-stroke engines would leave in New Zealand waters an amount similar to a spill from a small oil tanker.
If the outboard motors were swapped for three-star low emission engines there would be about 33,000 litres less hyrdocarbons and oxides of nitrate in the sea, he said.
The former economist, who belongs to Australia's eco-friendly fishing association, says the use of low emission engines would result in a 0.5 per cent drop in fuel imports.
The high emission two-stroke engines were banned for sale in most of the western world, including the countries they were made, like the United States, Japan and Canada.
New Zealand and Australia are the only developed countries allowing imports of carburated and fuel injection two-stroke motors.
New Zealand sales of the more environmentally friendly engines remain static.
Mr Fooks says two-stroke lawn mowers are also bad for the environment as they produce 40 times the emissions of a standard car.
Mark Presnall, the area manager for Suzuki Marine, says the company sells the high-emission two-stroke engines because of market demand and competition from other retailers.
Mr Presnall says the company only sells two-strokes up to 40 horsepower and expects the motors will eventually be phased out. "We'd be happy to give up two-strokes if it was an industry initiative."
He says for people spending about $2000 on a boat engine, the extra cost of a low-emission model remains an obstacle.
"We are stuck between market forces and where we'd like to be."
Ms Tizard says the Government isn't planning to ban imports of two-stroke engines but will keep an eye on Australia proposals.
She says the environment ministers of Australia and New Zealand will consider the issue.
She will ponder the new information and seek advice from her department's officials.
"I don't see this as the biggest issue ... we are not in the business of telling tens of thousands of New Zealanders with outboard motors and lawn mowers that they have to do anything."
One problem was the lack of an international standard on outboard emissions.
In New Zealand, councils administer air and water standards, she says.
She wants New Zealanders to get good information on fuel efficiency, and hopes they will consider taking it into account with whole life cycle costs when making purchases.
Auckland's Outdoor Boating Club commodore Fraser Elder said two-stroke engines were generally lighter, cheaper and offered better acceleration than comparative four-stroke engines.
He said banning two-stroke engines from New Zealand would certainly be resisted by boaties.
"There are a lot of two-stroke engines around, primarily because of the additional cost of four-strokes.
"A forced retirement [of currently registered two-strokes] would have boaties in an uproar."
