EMF Health Risk Guidance and Internal Briefings
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to Electricity Authority
Currently waiting for a response from Electricity Authority, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: SPENCER JONES
Electricity Authority (EA)
This is a formal request for information under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) and/or the Privacy Act 2020, as applicable. I am requesting the following information to support my ongoing dispute against Mercury NZ Ltd (UDL Ref: 173878) relating to power quality failures, EMF-related health concerns, and access to personal data.
Legal Basis
This request is made under the Official Information Act 1982. Sections 5, 12, and 13 of the Act provide for availability of information, eligibility of requesters, and assistance to clarify scope.
Context
This request supports my UDL complaint (Ref: 173878) regarding the health impacts of EMF emissions from smart meters and Mercury NZ Ltd’s failure to adequately respond.
The EA's position on smart meter safety is central to the resolution of my case, and I seek insight into the evidentiary basis and policy handling of health concerns.
Requested Information
1. All internal reports, briefings, or memos (2020–2025) referencing EMF, RF, ELF, or smart meter health risks.
2. Records of meetings or correspondence discussing electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), particularly in relation to consumer protection.
3. Documents guiding public communications or regulatory engagement about EMF exposure and consumer health concerns.
4. References to international reports or advisories (e.g. WHO, ICNIRP) considered in policy or communications.
5. Discussions or policy decisions related to the NZ standard NZS 2772.1:1999 and its application to smart meters.
Please provide the requested information in electronic form via email. If any part of this request is unclear, I am happy to assist with refinement. If you decide to withhold any information, please specify the grounds relied upon under the relevant legislation. I confirm my eligibility to make this request under section 12 of the OIA.
Ngā mihi,
Spencer Gerwyn Jones
From: OIA
Electricity Authority
Kia ora Spencer,
Thank you for your request of 16 December 2025, under the Official
Information Act 1982, for the following information:
Requested Information
1. All internal reports, briefings, or memos (2020–2025) referencing
EMF, RF, ELF, or smart meter health risks.
2. Records of meetings or correspondence discussing electromagnetic
hypersensitivity (EHS), particularly in relation to consumer protection.
3. Documents guiding public communications or regulatory engagement
about EMF exposure and consumer health concerns.
4. References to international reports or advisories (e.g. WHO,
ICNIRP) considered in policy or communications.
5. Discussions or policy decisions related to the NZ standard NZS
2772.1:1999 and its application to smart meters.
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 4 February 2026, being 20 working days after the
day your request was received.
If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of
an extension of that timeframe.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me by emailing
[Electricity Authority request email].
Ngâ mihi nui,
Alex Shearer (she/her)
Senior Ministerial Advisor
Level 7, AON Centre, 1 Willis Street
PO Box 10041, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
www.ea.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: SPENCER JONES <[FOI #33287 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 16 December 2025 1:24 pm
To: OIA <[Electricity Authority request email]>
Subject: [External] Official Information request - EMF Health Risk
Guidance and Internal Briefings
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Electricity Authority (EA)
This is a formal request for information under the Official Information
Act 1982 (OIA) and/or the Privacy Act 2020, as applicable. I am requesting
the following information to support my ongoing dispute against Mercury NZ
Ltd (UDL Ref: 173878) relating to power quality failures, EMF-related
health concerns, and access to personal data.
Legal Basis
This request is made under the Official Information Act 1982. Sections 5,
12, and 13 of the Act provide for availability of information, eligibility
of requesters, and assistance to clarify scope.
Context
This request supports my UDL complaint (Ref: 173878) regarding the health
impacts of EMF emissions from smart meters and Mercury NZ Ltd’s failure to
adequately respond.
The EA's position on smart meter safety is central to the resolution of my
case, and I seek insight into the evidentiary basis and policy handling of
health concerns.
Requested Information
1. All internal reports, briefings, or memos (2020–2025) referencing
EMF, RF, ELF, or smart meter health risks.
2. Records of meetings or correspondence discussing electromagnetic
hypersensitivity (EHS), particularly in relation to consumer protection.
3. Documents guiding public communications or regulatory engagement
about EMF exposure and consumer health concerns.
4. References to international reports or advisories (e.g. WHO,
ICNIRP) considered in policy or communications.
5. Discussions or policy decisions related to the NZ standard NZS
2772.1:1999 and its application to smart meters.
Please provide the requested information in electronic form via email. If
any part of this request is unclear, I am happy to assist with refinement.
If you decide to withhold any information, please specify the grounds
relied upon under the relevant legislation. I confirm my eligibility to
make this request under section 12 of the OIA.
Ngâ mihi,
Spencer Gerwyn Jones
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SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
Public Annotation – EMF health risk guidance and internal briefings
This Official Information Act request sought disclosure of any health risk guidance, internal briefings, or advisory material held by government agencies concerning potential health effects from electromagnetic fields (EMF), including exposure from modern infrastructure such as telecommunications and electricity networks.
In its response, Ministry of Health advised that it does not hold specific internal briefings, guidance papers, or health advisories addressing EMF health risks beyond reliance on external standards and publicly available guidance. The Ministry stated that it generally defers to internationally recognised exposure limits and scientific consensus when responding to EMF-related health questions.
The response indicates that:
• No bespoke internal health-risk briefings or policy analyses on EMF were identified.
• The Ministry relies on external scientific and regulatory frameworks rather than producing its own detailed EMF health guidance.
• Responsibility for technical standards and exposure limits sits largely outside the Ministry’s own internal policy documentation.
As a result, the request was effectively answered on the basis that the information sought is not held in the form requested, rather than through substantive disclosure of internal assessments or health-impact evaluations.
For the public record, this response clarifies that there is limited internally generated health-policy material within the Ministry of Health specifically addressing EMF exposure risks, and that current practice relies on external standards and agencies rather than internally developed health-risk guidance.
This outcome may be relevant to ongoing public debate about whether EMF health concerns are being actively assessed within New Zealand’s health system, or whether such issues are treated primarily as technical or standards-based matters rather than public-health policy questions.
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