The roll out is not planned to begin until mid-2020 so if you do not want a “smart” gas meter you have time to look for a new gas supplier. (Based on reports received from Genesis electricity customers it does not seem likely that the company would respect your decision to refuse to have a “smart” or, as the company terms it, an “advanced” gas meter at your home or business.)
NB: If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please email through our Contact Form and ask to be signed up for the email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz This will allow you to get emails that give updates on the smart meter situation with a focus on NZ smart meter news.
Just a note to apologise because we have been informed that an email newsletter* that went out yesterday evening to Stop Smart Meters NZ’s list contained an incorrect link for Professor Dariusz Leszczynski’s public lecture in Havelock North on Sunday 24th November 2019.
The correct link for this lecture is below – please share it with friends, family and colleagues who live in the Hakes Bay so that they learn about this important event. Thank you.
In addition to the Hawkes Bay lecture, Professor Dariusz Leszczynski is also giving lectures in Auckland, Wellington and Nelson and details of these talks may be accessed at the links below:
There are lots of events coming up in many other parts of NZ relating to wireless radiation and health issues and information about these is posted at the following link: https://www.5g.org.nz/events/
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example
new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying
behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any
electricity company etc. etc,) you may do this through the contact form
at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received
is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be
done.
*NB: If you missed receiving the newsletter that was sent on 15 November 2019, a few more people on the list will receive a corrected version later today and if you are not already on our email list you can email via this link https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/ and your details will be added to the newsletter list. Thank you!
Stop Smart Meters NZ is pleased to report that for people in NZ who are concerned about the potential health effects from the EMR produced by smart meters, various options exist to stop the smart meter producing pulses of radiofrequency (microwave) radiation. These include removal or disconnection of the smart meter’s modem (also known as a comms package or chip) OR removal of the entire smart meter and its replacement with a non smart meter.
The link that discusses the pros and cons
of these option is below:
Not all electricity retailers will
facilitate modem removal/disconnection or smart meter removal but thanks to every
person in NZ who has refused to accept being blasted by pulses of radiation
from a smart meter, there is now a choice of retailers that welcome customers
who don’t want smart meters.
Dr. Maisch’s lecture is important for many reasons but not least because it puts smart meters into the context of the “Internet of Things” (or IoT) which the telecommunications companies are now touting as the latest greatest innovation (along with 5G). You can read an introduction to the “Internet of Things” at the link below: http://www.5g.org.nz/2018/06/03/what-is-the-iot-and-what-is-its-connection-with-5g/
New blog covers wireless and health issues,
among other topics
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example
new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying
behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any
electricity company etc. etc,) you may do this through the contact form
at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received
is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be
done.
A new blog called Spirit Strength covers covers wireless technology and health issues – as well as including writing that considers philosophical issues relating to being human in an age that is increasingly dominated by digital technologies.
Most of the posts on Spirit Strength are short and therefore ideal for busy people. They are also a very useful resources for sharing with people who are new to wireless and health issues who need to become aware of risks of wireless technology for their own sake as well as that of their children….
The blog has an RSS feed to which you can sign up so you are notified when new posts are available to read.
Thank you for visiting www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example
new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying
behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any
electricity company etc. etc,) you may do this through the contact form
at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received
is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be
done.
Just a note to let readers know that there is now a dedicated NZ 5G website for New Zealand which is www.5G.org.nz. (The introductory link is http://www.5g.org.nz/welcome/ )
The site has a Resources page so that anyone who wants to put flyers in letter boxes etc. has some ready-to-print PDF files,
There is a contact form on 5G website so that anyone who would like to help with the site (such as by working as a volunteer to translate information into other languages or helping with graphic design etc.) can contact the organisers.
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example
new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying
behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any
electricity company etc. etc,) you may do this through the contact form
at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received
is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be
done.
Website editor’s note: A supporter of Stop Smart Meters NZ recently contacted the Fire and Emergency NZ (previously the NZ Fire Service) to find out the latest data about smart meter related fires in NZ.
She received the following information, together with a covering letter that stated that fires reported as being associated with smart meters could in some cases be due to a combination of factors not just the smart meter (such as water entering a meter box).
You may see the data released under the Official Information Act by clicking on the document below:
Please note that the information may released under the Official Information Act may NOT include all smart meter related fires that have occurred in NZ in this time frame. The reason for this was elicited in further correspondence between the supporter of Stop Smart Meters NZ and a representative of Fire and Emergency NZ who wrote:
“I am advised that the field on our incident reporting for noting whether there was equipment involved in the ignition of the fire is not mandatory, as not all fires are ignited by a piece of equipment. Coding it as a ‘smart meter’ fire also relies on the incident reporter being aware that the meter was a smart meter.” [Emphasis added]
So while the official statistics on smart meter related fires in NZ list only a relatively small number of fires, the official figures could be somewhat or even much lower than the actual number of smart meter-related fires.
The potential fire risk from a smart meter is a good reason (among any others) to refuse to have a smart meter installed. Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ so you can refuse a smart meter if you don’t want one.
Previous stories on smart meter fires in NZ on this website are below:
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any electricity company etc. etc,) you may do this through the contact form at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be done.
Website editor’s note:The following report has recently come in through our Contact Form from a New Zealander who had a smart meter installed at a property he owns after the installer lied to his neighbour to gain access to the property.
If you do not want a smart meter at your home (or another property that you rent or own) please ensure that your family or employees or tenants (or anyone else with access to your property) know this.
With this sort of underhand behaviour, it is important to emphasise to family, tenants, employees etc. that they should not allow access to the meter box for any purpose other than meter reading unless they have been specifically advised by YOU that access to the meter box is for a legitimate purpose.
The report is below:
Had a smart meter install done [date here] 2018 in my shop. The installer conned owner of shop next door into giving him the shop key by saying meter wasn’t working and that I had requested it be changed. Installer went inside changed meter and left. I found out what had happened on [date here] 2018. LIVID!!
Install was in Invercargill. Electricity company is Contact Energy. I phoned Contact and said I wanted the new meter removed and laid a complaint.
BEWARE: Installers using fraudulent means to enter properties when owner/occupier not present!
Website editor’s note
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any electricity company etc. etc,) you may do this through the contact form at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be done.
Website editor’s note: At the link below you can hear Newstalk ZB host Chris Lynch talking to a caller named Chris who said he had worked as a meter reader for over 15 years. During the conversation, Chris shares important information about smart meters and meter box safety.
Thank you to Chris Lynch for covering this important topic and thank you to Clare Swinney for creating a video from the audio track.
Website editor’s note
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example, a significant electricity bill increase or new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any electricity company) you may do this through the contact form at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be done.
Website editor’s note: At the link below you can hear Newstalk ZB’s Chris Lynch talking to Genesis customer Bradley Tuhi about how the smart meter installed at his fully insulated and gas heated home resulted in massively inflated electricity bills.
Thank you to Chris Lynch for covering this important topic and thank you to Clare Swinney for creating a video from the audio track.
Website editor’s note
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example, a significant electricity bill increase or new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any electricity company) you may do this through the contact form at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be done.
Website editor’s note: Over the years Stop Smart Meters NZ has reported on New Zealanders (such as this one) who have been bullied by electricity companies that want to install smart meters at their homes or businesses regardless of the fact that customers don’t want them – and have good reasons for refusing their installation.
Recently Stop Smart Meters NZ received an email regarding a case of smart meter bullying in Spain, illustrating the fact that electricity companies there are similarly shameless in the way that they are prepared to bully people who do not want smart meters.
June 11, 2018
Dear Stop Smart Meters NZ,
I am writing you from Spain, my home country, where a struggle against smart meters has been taking place in the last few years, ever since the Spanish Government issued a decree in 2012 making mandatory to have the analog meters replaced by smart meters.
Since I rejected the installation of a smart meter by IBERDROLA – the Spanish utility company three years ago, I have been following very closely this struggle in countries like Unites States, Australia, Canada, United Kindom and, of course, yours in New Zeeland.
In Spain, the struggle is relatively active, but the awesome power of electrical companies and the idleness of the government, makes it extremely difficult for citizens to win this war. We have no one in the government willing to openly confront electrical companies, the reason being what you call “revolving doors”, i.e some high government officials are given very well paid jobs in the board of directors of the electrical companies once they leave their public life. We have a list of high ranking officials, including former Spanish presidents, who today are occupying a seat in the board of directors of Iberdrola, Endesa, Gas Natural, etc.,”
After my three years of struggle and my repeated argument that I reject the smart meter on medical grounds, (I have been diagnosed with CLL (Leukemia) which could very well be linked to electromagnetic waves), Iberdrola has kept on bullying me and just last week has given me a final warning threatening with having my electrical supply interrupted if I do not let them to install me a smart meter; this is plain bulling since the only reason to suspend electrical supply is to have two consecutive unpaid bills and I always pay my bills on time.
I know that my case has nothing to do with your struggle in New Zeeland, but I believe that if, published in your web, it will serve to convey to New Zeeland citizens and also citizens of other countries like myself, that the struggle is not confined to a particular country but that it has become universal, as demonstrated by the already institutionalized “International Day of Action Against Smart Meters”. I can assure you that, if this case is referred in your web, I will make sure that it is published in the various related webs existing in Spain.
Kind regards,
Manuel Delgado
Madrid, Spain
Website editor’s note
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for email updates at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: If you wish to report a smart meter related problem (for example new symptoms after a smart meter installation or a fire or bullying behaviour on the part of a smart meter installer or staff in any electricity company, you may do this through the contact form at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
All correspondence is treated in confidence and information received is not posted on this website unless permission is given for this to be done.
Radio Spectrum Management NZ (a unit of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment or MBIE) recently posted a discussion document about the planned introduction of 5G on its website and invited submissions.
Radio Spectrum Management NZ has now posted the submissions that it received on its website.
Overall, submissions covered three main areas: health concerns, the use of radio microphones in the 600MHz band and submissions from companies in the telecommunications industry.
Radio Spectrum Management NZ states on its website that it “will be providing advice to the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media over the coming weeks and months.”
Stop Smart Meters NZ will bring you updates when there is more news available.
NB: Thank you for visiting this website! If you are interested in the smart meter issue or other issues relating to electromagnetic radiation and health, such as the landline phone issue or 5G, please sign up for the email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz.
This link also includes a search facility to allow you to search the website for topics of interest.
The sort of TV that would be the envy of the neighbours.
So why is a lawyer confessing that he is actually “terrified” of his new TV in Salon magazine?
In a few words, his new TV is not just a TV; it is a surveillance device:
According to the article the TV can collect a “staggering” amount of data:
“It logs where, when, how and for how long you use the TV. It sets tracking cookies and beacons designed to detect “when you have viewed particular content or a particular email message.” It records “the apps you use, the websites you visit, and how you interact with content.””
It has no respect for viewers’ privacy:
“It ignores “do-not-track” requests as a considered matter of policy.”
The sort of “smart” TV that has given the lawyer the willies is not just something you watch for your entertainment; the TV also watches you:
“It also has a built-in camera — with facial recognition. The purpose is to provide “gesture control” for the TV and enable you to log in to a personalized account using your face.”
And that’s not all…it listens to you, too:
“More troubling is the microphone. The TV boasts a “voice recognition” feature that allows viewers to control the screen with voice commands. But the service comes with a rather ominous warning: “Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party.” Got that? Don’t say personal or sensitive stuff in front of the TV.”
NB: Thank you for visiting this website! If you are interested in the smart meter issue or other issues relating to electromagnetic radiation and health, such as the landline phone issue, please sign up for the email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz.
This link also includes a search facility to allow you to search the website for topics of interest.
A new website has been launched dedicated to the help save NZ’s copper landline phone network. This reliable and safe phone network is threatened by legislation the “Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill”.
The select committee in charge of the bill the Economic Development, Science and Innovation (EDSI) committee is due to report to Parliament about the bill on May 4.
This link (please click on the image below) of the new website explains the advantages of maintaining the copper landline phone network.
This link features a press release based on an analysis of submissions posted on the Parliamentary website that show that individuals who made submissions on the bill are overwhelmingly in favour or retaining the copper landline network.
NB: Thank you for visiting this website! If you are interested in the smart meter issue or other issues relating to electromagnetic radiation and health, such as the landline phone issue, please sign up for the email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz.
This link also includes a search facility to allow you to search the website for topics of interest.
5G is the highly touted next generation of wireless communications that is designed to give faster download speeds that what is possible with the 4G network currently available in much of NZ.
Unfortunately, moving to a 5G system would entail increased exposure to wireless radiation for most New Zealanders.
In fact, the initial stage of the 5G system proposed for NZ would involve a doubling of cellular phone base stations in urban areas of NZ.
The second stage of a 5G system in NZ would likely be followed by installation of “small cell” units transmitting in the millimetre wave band.
These “small cell” units could be placed every 250 metres in urban areas.
If you think that more wireless radiation in the environment would NOT be a good thing – especially considering that most New Zealanders have acceptable access to the internet via the copper landline system, the new fibre optic networks being progressively rolled out around the country and/or the 4G system – NOW is the time to let the government know.
Radio Spectrum Management of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and it has called for a consultation on 5G in NZ.
(Similar consultations have been taking place in other countries including Australia and the USA.)
The consultation period ends at 5 PM on Monday April 30.
(Apologies for the horribly short notice.)
The consultation discussion document may be downloaded from the link below:
Below you will find a summation of some points of concern in the consultation document. If you are in agreement with one or more of these points of concern please consider taking 5 minutes to write a submission.
Please email your submission to the email address below:
Radio.Spectrum@mbie.govt.nz
Please use the subject line: “Preparing for 5G in NZ”.
Please note that a submission becomes a public document so consider what information you include.
It is best to put your name and address in the body of the email and write your submission with just your name at the top of the page and attach it to the email as a separate document.
There is information below to help you write your own unique submission.
If you decide to make a submission, please email through the contact form at this link https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/ to let Stop Smart Meters NZ know. Thank you.
Key points from the Radio Spectrum NZ discussion document include:
That that existing 4G cellular phone infrastructure is likely to be initially be used as a “control layer” for a planned 5G network and that this is likely to mean a doubling of cellular phone towers in urban areas of NZ.
If a doubling of cell phone towers in your town or city (or your closest town or city) is something that would concern you from a health perspective* this is something that you could mention in a submission.
*For example, because you or someone you know are electrosensitive or because of the research showing increased cancer rates in people living close to cellular infrastructure or another reason.
If you would be concerned about the possible impact on property values in your area if more cellular phone towers are built this could be something that you could mention in a submission.
That frequencies described as “millimetre wave” frequencies are being considered as part of a 5G system for NZ.
According to the link below, these frequencies cannot travel more than 250 metres which means that areas where 5G uses millimetre wave frequencies will need to have millimetre wave transmitters every 250 metres or less.
That a 5G system in NZ could eventually facilitate 1 million internet connections per square kilometre.
If you think that one million internet connections per square kilometre is ludicrous for a country that has only about 4.5 million people and a low population density, I think most people would agree with you.
The huge number of connections could be used to facilitate what has been called the Internet of Things (IoT) in which allows devices to communicate with each other.
If you think that it is foolish to expose New Zealanders to the health risks of additional wireless infrastructure to facilitate appliances such as domestic fridge talking a smart meter, this is something that you could mention in a submission.
That multiple 5G networks are being considered for NZ:
Quoting from the discussion document: “New Zealand has sufficient spectrum available for 5G to support the roll out of at least three national networks. All cellular mobile network operators have indicated their desire to build their own 5G network and compete at the infrastructure level. Given this, there would have to be strong public policy reasons to prevent this occurring.”
If you think that if 5G is instituted in NZ, it would be better for people’s health to have only one 5G network rather than three (if Spark, Vodafone and 2 Degrees all decide to build their own 5G networks) this would be a good thing to mention in a submission.
That one of the frequencies being considered as part of the 5G system (1400MHz) is already being used by the NZ Police, Chorus and the Airways Corporation.
Can you imagine the expense to the taxpayer of having to replace all NZ police personal radios and vehicular radio etc. systems? On the face of it, the proposal to use a frequency needed by NZ Police as part of a 5G system is so idiotic that I am surprised it is included on the discussion document.
That there are no safety standards in NZ for cellular phones!!!
According to the discussion document NZ has NO safety standards for the cellular phones on the market (but allows the importation of any cellular phone that is compliant with any other countries’ regulations) shows a worrying lack of concern for New Zealanders’ health.
It is especially worrying considering the research linking cellular phone use to brain tumours and the fact that according to the documentary Generations Zapped, there was NO pre-market safety testing of cellular phones prior to their introduction to the market.
The Spectrum NZ discussion document does NOT suggest that NZ should do its own pre-market testing of cellular phones that are designed to be compatible with the 5G system.
There are already modems in development that are designed to be used in situations where there is both 4G coverage and millimetre wave coverage.)
Cellular phones that are 4G and 5G compatible would therefore potentially expose users to potentially carcinogenic RFR microwave radiation from the 4G system PLUS millimetre waves.
Based on the short wave length of millimeter waves, the main health concerns at this stage – further research is desirable – appear to be potential adverse effects on the skin and the eyes.
If you think that the NZ government should commission safety testing of 5G compatible modems and smart phones and other devices prior to their being marketed in NZ this would be a good point to make in a submission.
If you think that all the test data for 5G compatible phones data should be published on a publicly accessible website, this would be a good point to make in a submission.
That Radio Spectrum Management is “seeking feedback on whether industry considers 5G antenna will comply with the NESTF.”
The NESTF is the “National Environnental Standard for Telecommunications Facilities”.
Under this standard the allowable emissions limit for 5G infrastructure using millimetre waves (or any frequency in excess of 2 GHz to 300 GHz) is 10 million microwatts per square metre (10 w/m2).
New Zealand’s standard for devices that produce RFR in the microwave range is already one of the poorest in the world. In NZ the legal limit for exposures to this type of radiation under NZS2772.1:1999 is much higher than in many other countries. (For example, in China, Italy, Russia and Swtizerland, the limit is 10 times lower at 1 w/m2. )
NZ has high legal exposure levels despite the fact that RFR in the microwave range is classified as a possible carcinogen (type 2B) by the World’ Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and despite the fact that NZ has a high cancer rate.
If NZ’s already lax limits for exposure to RFR in the microwave range are revised upwards because the system proposed for 5G would be likely to exceed the current limit, this could have negative impacts on human health.
If you would oppose any increase to the allowable public exposure limit for RFR in the microwave range this would be a good point to include in a submission.
What is your overall attitude to 5G?
It may be worth adding to a submission what is your overall attitude to 5G…
For example:
Do you think that 5G is simply unnecessary because internet access in NZ is already acceptable in most ares?
Do you think that NZ should wait to see what health impacts 5G infrastructure and 5G compatible devices may have in other countries where this technology is adopted prior to rushing into adopting what is essential a technology of (at this stage) unproven safety?
Do you think that the cost (to individuals, families and society) of loss of productivity due to illness and treating potential adverse health effects caused by greater utilisation of wireless technologies could end up outweighing any economic benefits of 5G?
Thank you for taking the time to read this document.
To stay up to date with the smart meter issue (and other issues related to wireless radiation in New Zealand, please sign yourself up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz and/or like and follow the following Facebook pages:
A new NZ-based Facebook group has been set up for people in NZ who are electrosensitive. This is a closed group and is intended as a confidential forum in which people who have developed electrosensitivity can come together and support eachother.
The details for the link are below.
If you are electrosensitive and would like to join the group, please click on the JOIN button on the left hand side of the page and one of the moderators for the group will be in touch with you once you have answered some questions.
Website editor’s note: Electrosensitivity (ES) is variously also known as electrohypersensitivity (EHS), electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EMS). People who develop this condition have often been exposed to high levels of electromagnetic fields (for example, from smart meters, living close to cellular phone infrastructure, from using cellular phones etc.)
If you would like to learn more about this condition, the following links of this site have more information:
Thank you for visiting the website of Stop Smart Meters NZ. If you are interested in smart meters or electromagnetic radiation and health, please sign up to our free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz.
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