Loud music and a smoky haze is most likely to be found in Dunedin's popular student suburbs.
Otago Regional Council environment manager Martin King said there had been 239 air pollution complaints in the year to June 30, 2013, while Dunedin City Council figures show there were 3166 noise complaints to the council's 24-hour phone line from July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013.
About 90% were for noise from parties.
Regional council figures also showed there were 77 backyard burning complaints, 92 related to domestic chimneys and 70 rural burning complaints in the Dunedin area.
''Dunedin inner city is where the majority of our complaints come for backyard burning, which is obviously student area a lot of it, and domestic chimneys is also within the inner city area also,'' Mr King said.
ORC environmental information and science director John Threlfall said if people complained, they would talk to those responsible for offensive domestic fires.
Outdoor burning in Dunedin is banned and it would be ''shut down'' if it came to their attention.
The council's air pollution monitor is situated in the central city - Albany St - because the Ministry for the Environment requires it in the worst area.
It has only recorded one reading above the ministry's maximum this winter and that was because of a faulty coal burner at a nearby business.
Mr Threlfall said other pollution hot spots in the city were in North East Valley, Green Island, South Dunedin, Kaikorai Valley and Mosgiel.
City council environmental health team leader Ros MacGill said a large amount of noise complaints came from the university area of North Dunedin.
Others were in South Dunedin and the central city. Ms MacGill said if noise was excessive, a notice was given which meant if noise control revisited the property in the next 72 hours, music equipment would be seized.
There were 693 excessive noise directions served in the 2012-13 period, with 82 premises having music equipment seized.
- by Dan Hutchinson and Tim Miller
