26 July 2023
Ref: DOIA 2223-3020
Bruce
[FYI request #23277 email]
Tēnā koe Bruce
Thank you for your request of 27 June 2023 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following information:
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, Kia Ora
1. I am requesting information regarding 5g towers located on Elles Rd invercargill ,
Elizabeth Park Invercargill, Clyde st Invercargill, Actually any 5g tower in invercargill.
2. Are any of these towers equipped with phazed array antennas?
3. If so what sort of digital program is running it and are there any algorithms in any of
these digital programs running these antennas?
4. Have any prior studies been conducted to access the health risks associated with the
antennas and the radio waves they emitt?
5. Are there any safety standards or guidelines in place to make sure the antennas don't
pose a health risk to nearby residents?
6. What measures if any , are in place to protect the privacy and security of personal data
being transmitted through the antennas ?
7. What steps have been taken to insure that the installation of the towers and antennas
comply with local regulations and zoning laws?
8. Also can you provide me with information regarding who owns and operates the antennas
and towers?
9. Finally, why were these towers and antennas installed without prior public notification
and consultation, and when I say public I'm talking about the public not consultation with
the city council,
10. and are there any plans in future to improve communication and transparency with the
public ?
On 4 July 2023, MBIE notified you that we transferred parts 4 and 5 of your request to the Ministry of
Health, and transferred parts 7, 9 and 10 of your request to Invercargill City Council under section 14(b)(i)
of the Act, which allows MBIE to transfer any request where the information is not held, but is believed to
be held by another department, organisation or Minister of the Crown.
Regarding part 1 of your request, MBIE does not maintain a list of the physical location of cellular towers.
However, MBIE does maintain a register of radio frequencies, which shows radio licenses on a map. The
register is publicly accessible
at https://rrf.rsm.govt.nz/ui/ and can provide an indication of the area a
license holder is permitted to transmit, but not necessarily where a 5G tower may be. To search specifically
for 5G towers in an area, GIS Geek provides that information for their registered users here:
https://gis.geek.nz/. The data that populates GIS Geek is based on data publicly available on the register of
radio frequencies. MBIE is therefore refusing part 1 of your request under section 18(d) of the Act, the
information requested is publicly available.
Regarding part 8 of your request, 5G cellular towers are largely operated by the commercial mobile network
operators, such as Spark, 2degrees, and One NZ (Formerly Vodafone NZ) and are privately owned. MBIE
does not hold information on the ownership or operation of specific towers beyond what is already public
on the register of radio frequencies. Therefore, MBIE is refusing this part of your request under section
18(g)(i) of the Act – the information requested is not held by the department and the person dealing with
the request has no grounds for believing that the information is held by another department or
interdepartmental venture or Minister of the Crown or organisation, or by a local authority.
Regarding parts 2, 3 and 6 of your request, MBIE does not hold any information relating to these questions
as they relate to the operation of 5G cellular towers that are largely privately owned and operated.
Therefore, I am refusing these parts of your request under section 18(g)(i) – the information requested is
not held by the department and the person dealing with the request has no grounds for believing that the
information is held by another department or interdepartmental venture or Minister of the Crown or
organisation, or by a local authority.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contact
[email address]. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information
about how to make a complaint is available
at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800
802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Daniel O’Grady
Manager, Radio Spectrum Policy and Planning
Digital, Communications and Transformation
