Hello Mr Brown

Thank you for your email and OIA request. Please find information regarding your OIA attached.

Kind regards

Tanya

show quoted sections

Kia ora Sam Brown,

 

On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your request of 6 January 2026 sent to the National
Infrastructure Funding and Financing requesting under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:

 

“Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request: 

1. Any analysis, business cases, or advice regarding CIP's potential role
in supporting community-owned, locally operated, or smaller-scale
telecommunications infrastructure providers in rural areas, including
whether such support has been considered, proposed, or declined. 

2. Any assessment of capital access barriers facing rural
telecommunications infrastructure operators, including analysis of
whether: - Commercial banks adequately serve infrastructure financing
needs in rural telecommunications - Specialised or illiquid assets (such
as telecommunications towers, point-to-point links, or rural network
equipment) create financing barriers that prevent otherwise viable
operators from accessing growth capital - Crowninfrastructure financing
could address market failures where commercial lenders decline to finance
rural telecommunications due to asset liquidity concerns rather
than business viability concerns 

3. Any advice to Ministers or shareholding Ministers regarding CIP's
strategic direction for rural connectivity infrastructure, specifically: -
Whether CIP's mandate includes supporting non-incumbent, community-based,
or regionally focused connectivity providers - Whether government strategy
assumes satellite services adequately address rural connectivity needs,
rendering terrestrial infrastructure investment unnecessary - What role,
if any, CIP envisions for supporting locally operated alternatives to
satellite or incumbent-operated services

 
4. Any assessment of competitive dynamics where well-capitalised providers
(including satellite operators with substantial backing) compete against
capital-constrained local operators who cannot access equivalent financing
despite potentially offering superior local service, resilience benefits,
or community economic outcomes.

 
5. Any analysis of whether Crown investment or financing support for
community telecommunications infrastructure would align with: - Regional
economic development objectives - Infrastructure resilience and redundancy
goals -Retention of technical capability and employment in regions -
Competition and consumer choice objectives 

6. Any advice on mechanisms through which community infrastructure
providers could access Crown financing, co-investment, or credit
enhancement, or alternatively, documented reasons why such mechanisms are
not considered appropriate or necessary. 

 

Context: There appears to be a structural financing gap where rural
telecommunications infrastructure providers cannot access commercial
capital due to asset illiquidity concerns, while government has
reduced/removed direct infrastructure funding. I am seeking to understand
whether Crown entities have assessed this gap and what strategy, if any,
exists to support community infrastructure providers in rural connectivity
markets.”

 

 

Your request has been transferred to the Ministry of Business, Innovation
and Employment from the National Infrastructure Funding and Financing on
28 January 2026 and is being processed in accordance with the Official
Information Act 1982. A response will be sent to you in due course. 

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and no
later than 26 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
enquiries regarding your request feel free to contact us via email to
[1][email address].

 
 
Nâku noa, nâ
Ministerial Services
Strategy and Assurance
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011 |  P O Box 1473 Wellington 6140

References

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1. mailto:[email address]

Kia ora Sam,

 

On 28 January 2026, you were advised that your request for the following
official information had been transferred from the National Infrastructure
Funding and Financing Ltd. Organisation to the Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment:

 

You requested under the Official Information Act 1982 the following:

1. Any analysis, business cases, or advice regarding CIP's potential role
in supporting community-owned, locally operated, or smaller-scale
telecommunications infrastructure providers in rural areas, including
whether such support has been considered, proposed, or declined.

 

2. Any assessment of capital access barriers facing rural
telecommunications infrastructure operators, including analysis of
whether: - Commercial banks adequately serve infrastructure financing
needs in rural telecommunications - Specialised or illiquid assets (such
as telecommunications towers, point-to-point links, or rural network
equipment) create financing barriers that prevent otherwise viable
operators from accessing growth capital - Crown infrastructure financing
could address market failures where commercial lenders decline to finance
rural telecommunications due to asset liquidity concerns rather than
business viability concerns

 

3. Any advice to Ministers or shareholding Ministers regarding CIP's
strategic direction for rural connectivity infrastructure, specifically: -
Whether CIP's mandate includes supporting non-incumbent, community-based,
or regionally focused connectivity providers - Whether government strategy
assumes satellite services adequately address rural connectivity needs,
rendering terrestrial infrastructure investment unnecessary - What role,
if any, CIP envisions for supporting locally operated alternatives to
satellite or incumbent-operated services

 

4. Any assessment of competitive dynamics where well-capitalised providers
(including satellite operators with substantial backing) compete against
capital-constrained local operators who cannot access equivalent financing
despite potentially offering superior local service, resilience benefits,
or community economic outcomes.

 

5. Any analysis of whether Crown investment or financing support for
community telecommunications infrastructure would align with: - Regional
economic development objectives - Infrastructure resilience and redundancy
goals - Retention of technical capability and employment in regions -
Competition and consumer choice objectives

 

6. Any advice on mechanisms through which community infrastructure
providers could access Crown financing, co-investment, or credit
enhancement, or alternatively, documented reasons why such mechanisms are
not considered appropriate or necessary.

 

Context: There appears to be a structural financing gap where rural
telecommunications infrastructure providers cannot access commercial
capital due to asset illiquidity concerns, while government has
reduced/removed direct infrastructure funding. I am seeking to understand
whether Crown entities have assessed this gap and what strategy, if any,
exists to support community infrastructure providers in rural connectivity
markets.

 

I can advise that, because no time period has been specified for this
request, it may be refused under section 18(f) of the Act on the basis
that the information cannot be made available without substantial
collation or research. If you wish to amend your request to include a
timeframe — for example, 1 January 2022 to 28 January 2026 — please let us
know by 17 February 2026.

 

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Ministerial Services

Office of the Deputy Secretary | Building, Resources and Markets

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

[1]Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment logo for email
signatures.

 

References

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Kia ora,

 

Please find the attached notification for your information.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Linda

 

 

Linda Anderson (She/her)

Senior Advisor, BRM Ministerial Services

Building Resources and Markets

Ministry of Buisness, Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki

[1][email address] | Phone: +64 4 913 3945

15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011

 

[2]Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Hīkina Whakatutuki logo

NZBN 9429000106078

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]