To: Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,

Kia ora,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information from 1 January 2015 to the present concerning smart meters, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), related communications systems, and associated regulatory or governance oversight in New Zealand.

Please provide:
1. Any internal briefings, aide-memoires, issue papers, policy papers, meeting notes, or correspondence concerning:
• smart meter regulation,
• AMI deployment,
• communications architecture used by smart meters,
• consumer data implications,
• cybersecurity implications,
• and any interaction between smart meters and wider digital or wireless infrastructure.
2. Any records involving MBIE, the Electricity Authority, Ministry of Health, Health NZ, ESR, Privacy Commissioner, Standards New Zealand, or Radio Spectrum Management where smart meters, AMI, RF/EMF, health concerns, privacy, or consumer protections were discussed.
3. Any records identifying which MBIE business units are responsible for:
• smart meter standards or conformance,
• radio or communications aspects of AMI,
• data or digital policy implications,
• consumer or market regulation interfaces.
4. Any reports, submissions, legal advice summaries, consultation documents, or technical reviews concerning whether New Zealand’s current regulatory settings adequately govern:
• smart meter data collection and use,
• communications and interoperability,
• cybersecurity risks,
• privacy or consent issues,
• and any public concerns relating to RF/EMF exposure.
5. Any record of inter-agency allocation of responsibility for smart-meter-related issues, including which agency is considered responsible for:
• meter rules,
• health,
• privacy,
• communications/spectrum,
• and consumer protections.

If any part of this request is more closely connected with another agency’s functions, please transfer that part under section 14.

Kind regards,

Spencer Jones