Kia ora Spencer Jones,
 
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 11/02/2026 requesting, under the Official
Information Act 1982, the following:
 
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request information held by the
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), including material
held by or inherited from the former Energy Safety function, relating to
advanced electricity meters (commonly referred to as “smart meters” or
“AMI meters”).

This request relates to the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2016,
corresponding to the national AMI rollout phase.

No personally identifiable information is sought.

1. Technical guidance and compliance documentation

Please provide copies of any:
       •       technical guidance notes,
       •       advisory circulars,
       •       Electrical Codes of Practice (ECP) references,
       •       test specifications,
       •       internal technical papers,
       •       compliance notes,
       •       or installation advisories

that refer specifically to:
       •       advanced electricity meters,
       •       smart meters,
       •       AMI systems,
       •       meter exchange programmes,
       •       surge withstand capability,
       •       overvoltage protection,
       •       EMC (electromagnetic compatibility),
       •       EMI (electromagnetic interference),
       •       harmonics,
       •       power quality impacts,
       •       or RF emissions from electricity meters.

If no such technical guidance exists, please confirm that position.

2. Meter approval and testing expectations

Please confirm whether, during 2010–2016:

2.1 MBIE (or Energy Safety) maintained any centralised approval, model
registration, or compliance verification framework specific to advanced
electricity meters.

2.2 MBIE issued or held any documentation outlining minimum surge
immunity, EMC/EMI standards, or electrical safety test requirements
specific to AMI/smart meters.

If no meter-specific requirements existed beyond general electrical
installation standards, please confirm.

3. Incident monitoring during rollout

Please provide any:
       •       internal briefings,
       •       reports,
       •       summaries,
       •       or correspondence

relating to safety incidents, complaints, or technical risks associated
with smart meter installations or replacements during 2010–2016.

If no such material exists, please confirm.

4. Format

Please provide documents electronically in PDF format where possible.

If any part of this request would likely engage section 18(f), please
provide reasonable assistance under section 13 by advising how the scope
may be refined.

Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
 
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and no
later than 11/03/2026, 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][MBIE request email].
 
Nāku noa, nā
Ministerial Services
Strategy and Assurance
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011 |  P O Box 1473 Wellington 6140

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[MBIE request email]