What are the grounds for giving no weight to community concerns about 5G roll-out

Wendy Pond made this Official Information request to Paul Goldsmith

Currently waiting for a response from Paul Goldsmith, they must respond promptly and normally no later than January 07, 2025 (details and exceptions).

From: Wendy Pond

December 07, 2024

MINISTER OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Dear Paul Goldsmith,

Given the roll-out of 5G is causing distress in our community; and

given OneNZ holds the view that the public is not entitled to have a say in the choice of location for utilities; and

given that our concerns about physical and financial effects on our well-being have been dismissed by the commercial telecommunication corporations on the grounds that parliament has approved the 5G roll-out; and

noting that the External Affairs Manager for OneNZ told us, “Vodafone doesn’t have to consult; it can do what it likes” (pers.comm., Lisa Mulitalo, 2023);

QUESTION 1, WHAT ARE THE GROUNDS on which telecommunication corporations and allied companies are entitled to tell residents that where the utilities comply with regulations, NZ law permits the roll-out of 5G without a requirement on the commercial companies to negotiate locations with residents and to avoid, remedy, mitigate effects.

Please consider my question carefully, as (i) effects can only be identified by consultation with residents, and (ii) New Zealanders have informed government and companies of substantial physical and financial effects that are unacceptable to us, and (iii) NZ law requires every person to avoid, remedy, mitigate those effects.

QUESTION 2, Is the advice from the commercial telecommunication companies to New Zealand residents (that residents have no say in where poles are placed and companies have no responsibility for effects on our lives) the whole truth ?

QUESTION 3, What provision has been made by government for a community to reject the installation of 5G technology?

Yours faithfully,
Wendy Pond

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From: Paul Goldsmith (MIN)
Paul Goldsmith

December 07, 2024

Please note that this acknowledgement is an automatically generated email.

Kia ora,

Thank you for contacting Hon Paul Goldsmith, Minister of Justice, Minister
for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Minister for Media and Communications,
Minister for State Owned Enterprises and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi
Negotiations.

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Ngâ mihi,
Office of Hon Paul Goldsmith
Minister of Justice| Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage | Minister
for Media and Communications | Minister for State Owned Enterprises |
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations

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From: Paul Goldsmith (MIN)
Paul Goldsmith

December 09, 2024

Good morning Wendy,

On behalf of Hon Paul Goldsmith, I acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 7 December 2024, where you requested:

- What are the grounds on which telecommunication corporations and allied companies are entitled to tell residents that where the utilities comply with regulations, NZ law permits the roll-out of 5G without a requirement on the commercial companies to negotiate locations with residents and to avoid, remedy, mitigate effects

- Is the advice from the commercial telecommunication companies to New Zealand residents (that residents have no say in where poles are placed and companies have no responsibility for effects on our lives) the whole truth ?

- What provision has been made by government for a community to reject the installation of 5G technology?

We received your request on 7 December 2024. We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 27 January 2025, being 20 working days after the day your request was received.

Over the holiday period in December and January there is a three-week period that doesn’t count as ‘working days’. For Official Information Act (OIA) requests, that period is 25 December to 15 January, inclusive. That means any OIA requests submitted on 27 November or later may take a bit longer than you expected.

Ngā mihi,
Office of Hon Paul Goldsmith

Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage | Minister of Justice | Minister for State Owned Enterprises | Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations | Minister for Media and Communications

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