13 May 2026
Spencer Jones
By email: [FYI request #34075 email]
Tēnā koe Spencer
Your request
Thank you for your request, received on 13 March 2026, under the Official Information Act 1982
(Act) for the following information:
a. A copy of the Authority’s earlier response identified in your letter as OIA-25-0027,
including any attachments or schedules referred to in that response.
Part 2 — Search methodology and record structure
b. The search terms, search fields, date filters, repositories, and method used to identify the
“3954 results” referred to in your 13 March 2026 response.
c. Any document, note, or internal explanation describing how the Authority distinguishes
between:
i. general search hits across SharePoint / Exchange; and
ii actual smart-meter health enquiries received from members of the public.
Part 3 — Actual health enquiry records
d. For the period 1 January 2018 to 1 September 2025, please provide the total number of
actual smart-meter health enquiries held or identified by the Authority, as distinct from
general keyword search hits.
e. If the Authority does not maintain a single field or dataset for this, please provide any
existing list, register, log, schedule, case list, or manually created summary used for the
purpose of answering OIA-25-0027 or OIA-25-0051.
f. If no such list or schedule exists, please confirm that explicitly.
Part 4 — Post-2015 continuation of the record trail
g. Please provide an index of records from 1 January 2016 to present relating to:
i. smart meter FAQ or fact sheet updates;
ii. RF / EMF wording;
iii. AMI public information;
iv. smart-meter health enquiries;
v. communications with ESR, Ministry of Health, Health NZ, MBIE, or any electricity
retailer/distributor on smart-meter health or RF issues.
h. For each indexed record, please provide only:
i. date,
ii. subject line or title,
iii. record type,
iv. sender/recipient organisation (not personal contact details),
v. and repository or storage location if recorded.
Part 5 — Approval and decision trail
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i. Any records showing who approved, reviewed, or authorised the wording used in the
Authority’s smart-meter FAQ / fact sheets concerning:
i. RF
exposure,
ii. health
effects,
iii. references to ESR / NRL,
iv. and any public reassurance statements.
Our response
The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko (Authority) will respond to each part of your request in turn.
a. A copy of the Authority’s earlier response identified in your letter as OIA-25-0027,
including any attachments or schedules referred to in that response.
The document you have requested is attached as Appendix One. However, please note we
have provided an updated version of this response to capture some additional information.
Accordingly, please see the response to Part 3 below.
Part 2 — Search methodology and record structure
b. The search terms, search fields, date filters, repositories, and method used to identify the
“3954 results” referred to in your 13 March 2026 response.
c. Any document, note, or internal explanation describing how the Authority distinguishes
between:
i. general search hits across SharePoint / Exchange; and
ii. actual smart-meter health enquiries received from members of the public.
The “3954 results” referred to in the 13 March 2026 response were identified using keyword
searches in Microsoft Purview eDiscovery across all available data sources. Searches used the
keyword field and combined variations of “smart meter” with either “FAQ”/“Frequently asked
questions”, and separately with health-related terms such as “health”, “fatigue”, “headache”, “EHS”,
“electromagnetic hypersensitivity”, “RF”, and “EMF”.
The searches covered records from 1 January 2010 onwards, with the health-related search
limited to the period ending 31 December 2025. They were run across Exchange Online mailboxes
(from around 2024), the electronic data management system (including scanned records and
shared drive content), and pre-migration emails retained in the Electronic Document Management
System (EDMS).
The figure of 3954 reflects the total items returned by these searches. Ministerial staff then
manually review the results to identify documents that are within scope, including distinguishing
actual public enquiries about smart meter health concerns.
Part 3 — Actual health enquiry records
d. For the period 1 January 2018 to 1 September 2025, please provide the total number of
actual smart-meter health enquiries held or identified by the Authority, as distinct from
general keyword search hits.
e. If the Authority does not maintain a single field or dataset for this, please provide any
existing list, register, log, schedule, case list, or manually created summary used for the
purpose of answering OIA-25-0027 or OIA-25-0051.
f. If no such list or schedule exists, please confirm that explicitly.
In response to your OIA request ref: OIA-25-0027, which asked for any smart meter related health
enquiries from 2018-2025, we identified two smart meter related health complaints. We took
reasonable steps to identify any information in scope at the time, however, due to a broader search
including additional search terms sent through by you, we have now identified further smart-meter
related health enquiries from this period.
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We would like to update our response in OIA-25-0027 by providing you with an up-to-date list of
health enquiries received between 1 January 2018 and 1 September 2025. This is attached as
Appendix Two and provided in a summary table, as requested in OIA-25-0027. We apologise for
the oversight on the original response.
The Authority considers that Appendix Two updates our response to OIA-25-0027, as well as
answers the above part of this request.
Part 4 — Post-2015 continuation of the record trail
g. Please provide an index of records from 1 January 2016 to present relating to:
i. smart meter FAQ or fact sheet updates;
ii. RF / EMF wording;
iii. AMI public information;
iv. smart-meter health enquiries;
v. communications with ESR, Ministry of Health, Health NZ, MBIE, or any electricity
retailer/distributor on smart-meter health or RF issues.
Please find this document attached as Appendix Three.
Part 5 — Approval and decision trail
h. Any records showing who approved, reviewed, or authorised the wording used in the
Authority’s smart-meter FAQ / fact sheets concerning:
i. RF
exposure,
ii. health
effects,
iii. references to ESR / NRL,
iv. and any public reassurance statements.
Under section 16 of the Act, we have provided this information in summary form. This approach
reflects Ombudsman guidance that agencies may provide a summary where it is a reasonable and
effective way to make the requested information available, particularly where the relevant
information is contained across multiple records and can be more clearly conveyed
in consolidated form.
Records held by the Authority indicate that the current smart meter FAQ information published on
the Authority’s website at www.ea.govt.nz/your-power/meters/ was written, reviewed, and
authorised by a Senior Advisor, Communications in April 2023. The wording was developed using
earlier Authority website information and was revised to improve clarity, conciseness, and
alignment with current guidance.
In relation to earlier materials, records show that the original smart meter fact sheet was first
developed in 2010 by the Authority’s Retail Operations team. When originally developed, the fact
sheet was run past multiple industry participants, who were given the option to comment and make
suggestions on the content. The content was subsequently updated on multiple occasions by
various staff members.
In 2019, the Authority’s information on meters was changed from web-based (HTML) content and a
PDF fact sheet to web-based (HTML) content only. As part of this change, the smart
meter information was updated, with the revised wording reviewed and authorised
by Authority Communications staff. This was revised again and republished in April 2023 when the
Authority launched its new website.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
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As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, the Authority may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. All personal data, including your name and contact
details, will be removed before publication.
If you’d like to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact us by emailing
[Electricity Authority request email].
Nāku noa, nā,
Airihi Mahuika
GM Legal, Monitoring and Compliance
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