Good Afternoon Spencer,
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your request for information dated
Saturday 2 August 2025.
ESR will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than Friday 29 August 2025, being 20 working days after
the day your request was received pursuant to section 15(1) of the
Official Information Act 1982.
If we are unable to respond to your request by Friday 29 August 2025, we
will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.
 

Kind Regards,

 

Wendy Chung

Legal Coordinator

[1]www.phfscience.nz   

27 Creyke Road, Ilam

Christchurch 8041, New Zealand 
PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand  

 

 

New Zealand Institute for  
Public Health and Forensic Science 

Formerly ESR – the Institute of  
Environmental Science and Research

 

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From: PHF Science External Enquiries <[email address]>
Sent: Monday, 4 August 2025 9:33 am
To: OIA & Privacy Requests <OIA&[email address]>; Wendy
Chung <[email address]>
Subject: FW: Official Information request - Official Information Request –
EMF and Smart Meter Health Assessments
 

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Good Afternoon Spencer,
Please find attached, the notice of partial transfer of your OIA request
to the Ministry of Health. 

Kind Regards,

 

Wendy Chung

Legal Coordinator

[1]www.phfscience.nz   

27 Creyke Road, Ilam

Christchurch 8041, New Zealand 
PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand  

 

 

New Zealand Institute for  
Public Health and Forensic Science 

Formerly ESR – the Institute of  
Environmental Science and Research

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: PHF Science External Enquiries <[email address]>
Sent: Monday, 4 August 2025 9:33 am
To: OIA & Privacy Requests <OIA&[email address]>; Wendy
Chung <[email address]>
Subject: FW: Official Information request - Official Information Request –
EMF and Smart Meter Health Assessments
 

show quoted sections

Kia ora Spencer

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health on 15 August 2025. You requested:

 

"Copies of any reports, memoranda, or scientific assessments authored,
commissioned, or reviewed by ESR regarding the health or safety risks of
electromagnetic field (EMF) or radiofrequency (RF) exposure from
residential electricity smart meters, since 2010.

Any ESR laboratory or technical data assessing:

The cumulative or peak EMF emissions from smart meters;

Comparisons of smart meter EMF exposure against NZS 2772.1:1999 or ICNIRP
guidelines;

Potential risks to electromagnetic hypersensitive (EHS) individuals.

Any correspondence between ESR and the Ministry of Health, MBIE, WorkSafe,
or the Electricity Authority regarding EMF health risk assessments or
recommended public health thresholds."

 

The reference number for your request is H2025071277. As required under
the Act, the Ministry will endeavour to respond to your request no later
than 20 working days after the day your request was
received: [1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch ([2][email address]).

 

 

Ngā mihi 
 
OIA Services Team 
[3]Ministry of Health information releases 

 

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...

Tçnâ koe Spencer 

 

Response to your request for official information 

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) transferred to the Ministry of Health – Manatû Hauora (the Ministry)
on 15 August 2025 for information regarding smart metres. You requested:  

Copies of any reports, memoranda, or scientific assessments authored,
commissioned, or reviewed by ESR regarding the health or safety risks of
electromagnetic field (EMF) or radiofrequency (RF) exposure from
residential electricity smart meters, since 2010. 
 
Any ESR laboratory or technical data assessing: 
 
The cumulative or peak EMF emissions from smart meters; 
 
Comparisons of smart meter EMF exposure against NZS 2772.1:1999 or ICNIRP
guidelines; 
 
Potential risks to electromagnetic hypersensitive (EHS) individuals. 
 
Any correspondence between ESR and the Ministry of Health, MBIE, WorkSafe,
or the Electricity Authority regarding EMF health risk assessments or
recommended public health thresholds. 

 

Please note the following information provided by the New Zealand
Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science when they partially
transferred your initial request to the Ministry on 15 August 2025: 

 

We have transferred part of your request to the Ministry of Health. Part
of the information to which your request relates, namely any reports,
memoranda or scientific assessments authored or reviewed by ESR and any
ESR laboratory or technical data is believed to be more closely connected
with the functions of the Ministry of Health. Any work concerning EMF or
RF would have completed under the scope of work carried out by ESR (now
PHF Science) for the Ministry of Health as per our service agreement. In
these circumstances, we are required by section 14 of the OIA to transfer
your request. 

 

PHF Science are currently collating copies of any correspondence between
ESR and the above listed organisations and will provide a response for
these by Friday 29 August 2025. 

 

The Ministry does not hold any reports, memoranda, scientific assessments
or correspondence on this topic. As such your request has been refused
under section 18(g)(i) of the Act, that the information requested is not
held by the department and there are no grounds for believing that the
information is held by another department or agency subject to the Act. 

 

You may be interested in the following information related to smart
meters, radiofrequency exposure and the NZS 2772.1:1999 standards publicly
available in the document Interagency Committee on the Health Effects of
Non-ionising Fields: Report to Ministers 2022 available at the following
webpage:
[1]www.health.govt.nz/publications/interagency-committee-on-the-health-effects-of-non-ionising-fields-report-to-ministers-2022.  

 

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this
decision, please feel free to contact the OIA Services Team on:
[email address]. 

 

Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [2][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602. 

 

Ngâ mihi 

  

OIA Services Team

Ministry of Health  | Manatû Hauora 

M[3]inistry of Health information releases 

 

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References

Visible links
1. https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...

Good Morning Spencer,
Please find attached our response to your Official Information Act request
received by ESR on Saturday 2 August 2025.

Kind Regards,

 

Wendy Chung

Legal Coordinator

[1]www.phfscience.nz   

27 Creyke Road, Ilam

Christchurch 8041, New Zealand 
PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand  

 

 

New Zealand Institute for  
Public Health and Forensic Science 

Formerly ESR – the Institute of  
Environmental Science and Research

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: PHF Science External Enquiries <[email address]>
Sent: Monday, 4 August 2025 9:33 am
To: OIA & Privacy Requests <OIA&[email address]>; Wendy
Chung <[email address]>
Subject: FW: Official Information request - Official Information Request –
EMF and Smart Meter Health Assessments
 

show quoted sections

Dear Spencer
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your request for information dated
Monday 1 September.
PHF Science will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible
and in any event no later than Monday 29 September 2025, being 20 working
days after the day your request was received pursuant to section 15(1) of
the Official Information Act 1982.
If we are unable to respond to your request by Monday 29 September 2025,
we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.

Kind Regards,

 

Wendy Chung

Legal Coordinator

[1]www.phfscience.nz   

27 Creyke Road, Ilam

Christchurch 8041, New Zealand 
PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand  

 

 

New Zealand Institute for  
Public Health and Forensic Science 

Formerly ESR – the Institute of  
Environmental Science and Research

 

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From: SPENCER JONES <[FOI #31855 email]>
Sent: Monday, 1 September 2025 6:56 pm
To: OIA & Privacy Requests <OIA&[email address]>
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Official Information Request –
EMF and Smart Meter Health Assessments
 
Dear OIA & Privacy Requests, Subject: OIA 31855 — follow-up on transfer,
searches, and correspondence scope

Kia ora PHF Science,

Thank you for your 29 August response and the two redacted 2012 EA email
threads. To close out outstanding points under OIA 31855:

Transfer rationale and scope
You transferred “reports/assessments/data” to the Ministry of Health on
the basis these would have been produced under ESR’s service agreement
with MoH. Please confirm the precise scope of that service agreement as it
relates to smart-meter RF/EMF assessments (2010–2025), and whether ESR/PHF
Science ever produced, held, or reviewed any smart-meter-specific
measurements or health assessments for MoH.

Searches and holdings
Please confirm that reasonable searches were conducted for correspondence
with MoH, MBIE, and WorkSafe (2010–2025) and that no records exist beyond
the two 2012 EA threads you released. If any records are held elsewhere
within PHF Science (e.g., archived NRL holdings), please locate and
release or transfer as appropriate.

EA correspondence completeness
Given the two 2012 threads indicate iterative drafting of EA’s smart-meter
FAQ text, please confirm whether ESR/NRL provided any further comments,
drafts, or follow-ups to EA beyond those two threads (including
attachments), and if so, please release them.

I’m happy to refine further if consultation under s18B would assist.
Please provide any remaining material in electronic form (s15(2)).

Kind regards,
Spencer Jones

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Good Afternoon,
Attached is PHF Science's response to your OIA request received on Monday
1 September 2025.
  

Kind Regards,

 

Wendy Chung

Legal Coordinator

[1]www.phfscience.nz   

27 Creyke Road, Ilam

Christchurch 8041, New Zealand 
PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand  

 

 

New Zealand Institute for  
Public Health and Forensic Science 

Formerly ESR – the Institute of  
Environmental Science and Research

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: SPENCER JONES <[FOI #31855 email]>
Sent: Monday, 1 September 2025 6:56 pm
To: OIA & Privacy Requests <OIA&[email address]>
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Official Information Request –
EMF and Smart Meter Health Assessments
 
Dear OIA & Privacy Requests, Subject: OIA 31855 — follow-up on transfer,
searches, and correspondence scope

Kia ora PHF Science,

Thank you for your 29 August response and the two redacted 2012 EA email
threads. To close out outstanding points under OIA 31855:

Transfer rationale and scope
You transferred “reports/assessments/data” to the Ministry of Health on
the basis these would have been produced under ESR’s service agreement
with MoH. Please confirm the precise scope of that service agreement as it
relates to smart-meter RF/EMF assessments (2010–2025), and whether ESR/PHF
Science ever produced, held, or reviewed any smart-meter-specific
measurements or health assessments for MoH.

Searches and holdings
Please confirm that reasonable searches were conducted for correspondence
with MoH, MBIE, and WorkSafe (2010–2025) and that no records exist beyond
the two 2012 EA threads you released. If any records are held elsewhere
within PHF Science (e.g., archived NRL holdings), please locate and
release or transfer as appropriate.

EA correspondence completeness
Given the two 2012 threads indicate iterative drafting of EA’s smart-meter
FAQ text, please confirm whether ESR/NRL provided any further comments,
drafts, or follow-ups to EA beyond those two threads (including
attachments), and if so, please release them.

I’m happy to refine further if consultation under s18B would assist.
Please provide any remaining material in electronic form (s15(2)).

Kind regards,
Spencer Jones

show quoted sections