24 April 2026
Spencer Jones
[FYI request #33831 email]
Tēnā koe Spencer
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00202225
Thank you for your follow-up request (HNZ00201741 refers) on 31 March 2026, asking Health New
Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for further information about smart meter radiofrequency exposure under
the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA). For ease of reading, I wil respond to each part in turn.
Response
1. Clarification of “Operational Guidance” Please confirm whether your previous response was limited to formal, published, or
officially designated guidance. If so, this request extends to include all forms of operational
knowledge and practice, including but not limited to: - Draft guidance - Internal guidance documents - Clinical advisories - Informal or working protocols - Emails or communications discussing how such cases should be handled - Notes, briefings, or internal discussions relating to EMF sensitivity or smart meter-related
health complaints
Our response of 31 March 2026 (HNZ00201741 refers) was not limited in scope.
2. Clinical Handling of EMF Sensitivity Cases
If no formal guidance exists, please provide:
a) Any documentation describing how clinicians are expected to respond to patients
reporting EMF sensitivity or related symptoms
b) Any internal advice, guidance, or communications provided to:
- General practitioners
- Specialists
- Public health units
- Healthline or triage services
c) Any escalation or referral pathways (formal or informal) for such patients
The information in this part is refused under section 18(e) of the OIA as no such guidance exists.
3. Internal Consideration of EMF / EHS Issues Please provide: a) Al internal documents, reports, or communications (including emails) discussing: - Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) - Health effects of smart meters - Patient complaints relating to EMF exposure b) Any risk assessments, reviews, or advisory papers relating to EMF health concerns c) Any engagement with external bodies (e.g., ESR, MBIE, Electricity Authority, WHO, or
international agencies) regarding EMF health effects
This part of your request is broad and asks for a large volume of information. Instead of outright
refusing under section 18(f) of the OIA, we have identified and provided recent key
correspondence between other agencies on potential EMF health effects. None of this
correspondence discusses electromagnetic hypersensitivity, health effects of smart meters or
patient complaints as that information does not exist.
This information is attached as
Appendix 1. Some information has been withheld under section
9(2)(a) to protect privacy. In making this decision, we have considered the public interest in release
and determined that it does not outweigh the need to withhold on this occasion. In another
instance, an internal Health NZ information filing link has been deemed outside the scope of your
request and removed.
4. Responsibility and Governance
Please provide:
a) Identification of the team, unit, or role within Health NZ responsible for:
- Assessing EMF-related health risks
- Developing or considering clinical guidance
b) Any documents that define or discuss which agency holds responsibility for EMF-related
health effects in New Zealand
c) Any inter-agency communications or agreements relating to EMF health governance
Health risks are managed through the Resource Management Act 1991, namely the National
Policy Statement on Electricity Transmission and the National Environmental Standards for
Electricity Activities. In the first instance, assessments are managed through the local council and
the consenting process. Health NZ may be involved in providing expert advice at this stage,
depending on the circumstances. However, to the best of our knowledge, no one in Health NZ is
developing or considering clinical guidance.
5. Record Creation and Absence of Guidance
If no operational guidance exists, please provide:
a) Any documents explaining why such guidance has not been developed
b) Any consideration, discussion, or decision not to develop guidance
c) Any records indicating whether this issue has been assessed as requiring policy
development
6. OIA Duty to Assist (Section 13)
Guidance relevant to this part of your request is publicly available on our website at
www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/assets/Publications/Environmental-health/Electric-and-Magnetic-Fields-
and-Your-Health.pdf.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Sara Freitag
Manager, Government Services
