Environmental Standards

About Environmental Standards

In 2004 the Government started a process to review the Resource Management Act 2001. Alongside this review the Government released its digital strategy in November 2005 which outlined the Governments aspirations for all New Zealanders to benefit from Information Communications Technology (ICT) by providing fast, reliable and cost effective broadband.

To achieve the Governments goals, telecommunication network providers would require investment and deployment in physical infrastructure. Current experience of the existing legislation within the telecommunications industry was found to inhibit the successful ‘roll out’ of wireless services because there was a lack of standardised equipment and to gain resource consent for low impact telecommunications infrastructure can be time consuming, expensive and an inconsistent process.

The Ministries for the Environment and Economic Development invited key telecommunication industry members to attend a workshop organised to outline possible scope and associated issues for establishing a National Environmental Standards (NESs) for telecommunications. The objectives of the NESs was to provide a consistent and specific regulatory framework which would apply nationally. The scope of the NESs proposal covered only low impact infrastructure in legal road reserves which included: radiofrequency exposure; roadside equipment cabinets; equipment cabinet noise; and masts and antennas.

New Standards for Telecommunications Equipment

The Ministry for the Environment has consulted on National Environmental Standards for Telecommunications Facilities.  A media release from the Environment Minister, Trevor Mallard was made on 6 March 2008 regarding the new standards for Telecommunications equipment. The standards contained in the media release govern the size of and noise from telecommunications equipment such as antennas, masts and roadside cabinets. These standards have now been approved and will be drafted into regulation.