OIA request – Energy Safety legacy technical guidance relating to advanced electricity meters (2010–2016)
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
The request was refused by Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.
From: SPENCER JONES
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
Kia ora,
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
From: Ministerials
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
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
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1. mailto:[MBIE request email]
From: Ministerials
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Kia ora Spencer
Please find attached a response to your request under the Official
Information Act 1982.
Ngā mihi
Matthew
Principal Ministerial Advisor, BRM Ministerial Services
Building Resources and Markets
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki
[1]Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Hīkina Whakatutuki logo
NZBN 9429000106078
References
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SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
Annotation – Outcome of Request and Research Context
This request sought historical technical guidance, compliance expectations, and incident monitoring documentation relating to advanced electricity meters (“smart meters” / AMI systems) during the national rollout period between 2010 and 2016.
The purpose of the request was to determine whether the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), including the former Energy Safety function, produced or held technical guidance, test specifications, or risk monitoring documentation relating to:
• electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
• surge withstand capability
• power quality impacts
• RF emissions
• or other electrical safety considerations associated with advanced electricity meters.
The Ministry has confirmed that it does not hold the requested information, and the request has therefore been refused under section 18(g) of the Official Information Act (information not held by the agency). 
The response also clarifies several structural points regarding regulatory responsibilities:
• Energy Safety functions were transferred to WorkSafe New Zealand when that agency was established.
• Regulation of smart meters and metering systems sits with the Electricity Authority, primarily under Part 10 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code.
• MBIE advised that it does not issue technical guidance, approve smart meters, maintain model registration, track testing, or monitor incidents relating to smart meters.
As a result, the Ministry states that the types of technical and compliance documentation requested would likely be held, if at all, by WorkSafe (Energy Safety) or the Electricity Authority, rather than MBIE itself.
Research significance
While the request was refused on the basis that the information is not held by MBIE, the response helps clarify the institutional allocation of responsibilities relating to advanced electricity meter governance in New Zealand.
Specifically, it indicates that:
• MBIE does not appear to maintain technical oversight documentation relating to smart meters
• Energy Safety oversight functions sit within WorkSafe
• market regulation and metering governance sits with the Electricity Authority.
Understanding this distribution of responsibilities is useful for researchers examining how technical safety guidance, regulatory oversight, and incident monitoring were managed during the national smart meter rollout period (2010–2016).
Related research requests
This request forms part of a broader set of Official Information Act requests examining the governance, regulatory oversight, and technical standards associated with advanced electricity meters in New Zealand.
Researchers may also find the following requests relevant:
Smart meter oversight and market governance
• Anonymised aggregate information on smart meter (AMI) deployment and market oversight
https://fyi.org.nz/request/33584-anonymi...
Record retention and regulatory consistency
• Follow-up re OIA-25-0019 / 25-0027 – record retention and cross-agency consistency
https://fyi.org.nz/request/33368-follow-...
Scientific advice and risk assessment
• Scientific advice or reviews concerning smart meter RF exposure
https://fyi.org.nz/request/33832-scienti...
Taken together, these requests aim to better understand:
• how technical safety considerations were assessed during the smart meter rollout
• which agencies hold responsibility for regulatory oversight
• how incident monitoring and risk management were handled across government institutions.
Future researchers examining the governance of advanced electricity meter deployment in New Zealand may find these linked requests helpful in understanding the distribution of responsibilities between agencies and the availability (or absence) of historical technical guidance documentation.
This request is therefore now closed following refusal under section 18(g).
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