Ninety-six year old retired special education teacher Betty Hooper recently took advantage of living on a main street of her Northland town to help educate her community about the smart meter issue.
She turned her front garden into a smart meter education display, putting up a variety of posters and banners that she and friends had created for the occasion. (See photos, below.)
Betty has been interested in both health and education all her life. Her work with special needs children stimulated an interest in how good nutrition (or lack of it) affects children’s health and ability to learn. She is a member of the Patients Rights Advocates Waikato Incorporated which provides support to people who have chronic health problems, and helps them navigate the maze of the modern medical and social welfare systems.
A talented artist and craftswoman, Betty recently combined her interests in spinning and creating home-made dyes with her quest to educate parents about the value of good nutrition and the importance of avoiding artificial additives. She dyed homespun wool with “Raro” (imitation fruit drink) crystals – and displayed the results at a stall at a health expo as a conversation starter.
The highly coloured crystals make a beautiful, and apparently permanent dye for natural fabrics such as cotton or wool, she says. (NZ allows many artificial colours that are banned in Europe to be included in foods and beverages.)
Betty’s smart meter education display in her garden was a temporary initiative but she is still working on the smart meter campaign by giving out leaflets in her neighourhood.
NB: Please click on the images below, to enlarge them.
Betty with her smart meter display, February 2016
Above: A close up of one of the signs
NB: If you would like to download one of the Te-Reo English posters as used above, you will find this poster on our Resources Page or you can read about it here.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
NB: If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
Site editor’s note: Earlier this month I received this email from a lady asking for help as she had developed headaches after moving into a new home with a smart meter on the bedroom wall.
Here is the first email from this correspondent:
“I have recently become aware of the health risks posed by smart meters when moving to my new location in Christchurch.
“A smart meter is directly located on the outside wall of the bedroom and since sleeping in that room, I have been waking up with sharp pain over my right eye with headaches only getting better when I leave the room/ house throughout the day. Upon closer inspection of the smart meter box I felt light-headed, and had difficulty ‘finding words’ when talking.
“I contacted Contact Energy and they are willing to remove the chip from my smart meter for a $125 fee (although at first I received the usual – it’s like sleeping next to your cell phone speech).
“I was wondering if you were aware of any community members in Christchurch (south of city centre) that could possibly perform a RF reading after the chip has been removed to verify that it was ACTUALLY removed?
“Thanks for your help,
“[Name]”
An email discussion ensued while this lady was waiting for the technician from her electricity retailer to remove the modem (the part of the smart meter which produce microwave radiation) from the EDMI Mk7A smart meter. In NZ, this type of smart meter usually communicates through the Vodafone cellular phone infrastructure.
Quoting from a subsequent email:
“…the symptoms have only got worse over the week, so hopefully starting next week I will be able to have a good night’s sleep again.
“I have always been sensitive to EMF sources, although never this aware.
“My husband is closer to wall with the smart meter and I have been waking up on his side of the bed with intense nausea during the night. (I might add: I have not changed eating habits etc.) And now that we have been there for close to three weeks and I have become so tired/ unconcentrated/ exhausted and unmotivated over this short space of time.
I received the following email the day after the technician came to the home and removed the modem
“Unfortunately I wasn’t at home when the electrician called me for the modem removal.
[She had hoped to be home and document its removal –Ed]
“On the upside – today I woke up and for the first time in three weeks there was no pressure feeling in my head and no stabbing pain above my eyes. I am so relieved. My husband noted as well that over the last few weeks the first thing I uttered in the morning was: I have a headache!”
Editor’s comment: In the cases that have been reported to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz, when symptoms develop after installation or a smart meter, or after moving to a new home that has a smart meter, removal of the modem usually results in the resolution of the symptoms.
If you are in this situation, based on reports that I have received, it is important to prioritise removal of the smart meter (and avoid being in close proximity to the smart meter, if possible, while waiting for the removal of the modem. ) This is because exposure to the microwave radiation produced by smart meters has been reported as a possible trigger of electrosensitivity reactions.
Also: As a general rule beds and work desks (or anywhere else where someone spends a significant amount of time) should be located at least 1-2 metres away from any type of electricity meter, including analogue (Ferraris) meters due to the high magnetic fields associated with the meter and household wiring.
NB: If you are interested in getting updates on the smart meter issue in NZ you can sign up to the free email list atwww.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
The Whangarei Leader has a smart meter letter in its February 16 2016 edition.The letter was written by Clare Swinney who has been measuring smart meter emissions at homes where they have been installed in the city. You may read the Whangarei Leader smart meter letter at the link below.
NB: Click on the image to make it larger.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
Good news if you would like to express your opposition to a smart meter in Te Reo! We have two Te Reo-English smart meter posters available on the Resources page of our website.
A big thank you to the volunteers who worked together to create these posters by expressing key concerns about smart meters in Te Reo and creating the graphics, and giving permission for the posters to included on this website.
Each of the posters is bilingual, so you will make your point even to people who do not understand Te Reo.
Here is a bit of background information about the posters:
One poster has the following text:
Kia matapoporetia (e te iwi) means be careful of (people) te hangarau aa-papatuhituhi -smart board technology, ka hahana atu- emits, radiates out from, te mate radiation- radiation sickness. Te paahua tenei mahi -This work is a robbery/rip off.
The other poster has the following text:
Kia Tupato kia paa te mate ta koutou tinana i enei mihini hihiko kikino me te utu nunui hoki ou nama/ It translates as: Beware of these bad electrical machines (known as smart meters/radiation emitters) that harm/kill your body, matched by increased bill charges.
The translator of this poster has used vocabulary that will be familiar to people who speak Te Reo as it is spoken in Northland.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
The excellent website http://smartgridawareness.org/ has just reported on a new study that shows that most consumers suffer a financial loss from smart meters.
This is an important post because not only does it discuss recent research but it also includes links to many other articles about how smart meters can have adverse financial impacts.
Everywhere that smart meters are introduced the electricity industry tries to convince people that having a smart meter will help them save money. Unfortunately, consumers can end up paying for smart meters in many ways, through subsidising their installation through their electricity bill (or in some countries through their taxes), being exposed unnecessarily to the possibly carcinogenic radiation from smart meters and/or developing adverse health effects from the smart meters, such as headaches, insomnia and many other symptoms – and having in some cases, greatly increased bills. (Please see this link for an example of two people who have been adversely affected here in NZ).
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
The Monday February 8th 2016 edition of The Northern Advocate featured a letter about smart meters by local journalist Clare Swinney who has been documenting smart meter emissions in Whangarei. (To read about some of the work that Clare has been doing, please see this link, this link and this link.)
You may read Clare’s letter (and part of other letters) by clicking on the image below:
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
A Ferraris meter is a type of electricity meter that cannot produce microwave radiation and as it has no electronics and therefore no data storage capacity, Time of Use tariffs (see below) cannot be applied to electricity metered through a Ferraris meter.
Below is a photo of the Ferraris analogue meter
TOU tariffs and YOU
One good reason for refusing a smart meter is that the “‘time of use” (TOU) pricing plans that a smart meter installation can facilitate can make electricity more expensive. Please see the link below for details.
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
Website editor’s note: The following smart meter removal success report was received recently and shows that being persistent pays off in getting rid of a smart meter. If you would like to report your smart meter removal success, you can reach www,stopsmartmeters.org.nz through our Contact Form.
I thought you might like a success story.
I reached an agreement with Contact Energy – after going to the Electricity and Gas Commission, to have my smart meter removed.
The grounds for my case were that the terms and conditions of my contract with Contact had been clearly breached with insufficient notice of installation being given.
The outcome was reached after I repeatedly refused their offers, initially for the chip being removed, then the chip being removed without cost, then an apology and a compensation payment.
As I was unsatisfied with the last offer, I was prepared to take the matter to Court and indicated the same. In the process of the Commissioner making a ruling, two analogue meters were found that could be reinstalled. It pays to keep pushing and to stand firm to your position.
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that it is compulsory to have a smart meter installed or that smart meters are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, or the possible health risks many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
A new study published in Energy Research & Social Science has shown that families with children are among the most vulnerable to “Time of Use” (TOU) electricity tariffs that can be imposed on consumers after the installation of a smart meter.
A good report on how TOU tariffs (which may lead to electricity cost twice as much at peak times as it does at off peak times, and can therefore lead to significantly higher bills with no change in electricity use) can be read at the website Smart Grid Awareness.
Please note that while staff from some electricity companies have been telling their customers that smart meters are compulsory or are some sort of government requirement, this is NOT true. (There is more information about this issue at this link ) If you do not want a smart meter because you are concerned about the higher bills that could follow a smart meter installation, or Time of Use pricing, many people in NZ are successfully refusing to have a smart meter installed using the techniques described at this link
If you would like to keep up to date with information about electromagnetic radiation and health, including the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
Whangarei journalist Clare Swinney has been measuring emissions from smart meters in the city using a Cornet ED 78S model EMR test meter.
At a recent measurement session she detected a pulse of 418,000 microwatts per square metre of radiofrequency (RF) radiation in the microwave range when standing adjacent to two smart meters which had been installed at a friend’s home.
She reported the following via email:
“Since Monday [the day of the testing] my eyes have felt as if they have been fried by the smart meter at Maxine’s which read 418 mW/m sq. It hurt to open the left one this morning. They have felt inflamed since Monday.”
Report from Wednesday, January 20:
“My eyes literally hurt when I went out into sunlight today. A bonus is that I can use them to pick up rf emissions, as they are now sensitive to rf [radiofrequency] radiation.”
A follow-up email on January 21 included the following:
“…when the rf hits my eyes, I feel a burning pain, as I did at [friends’ homes] owing to their wi-fis being on.
“I bought fresh carrots 2 days ago and had 2 large glasses of fresh carrot juice yesterday, using a Breville juice fountain and will have more today. I also am using vitamin C powder and tablets. My eyes are feeling as if they’re getting better today, but there is still pain when I look around, but it was instructive to feel it, to know the damage that can be caused from rf.”
A few days later (January 25) she wrote:
“My eyes still are not 100%, but they feel as if they are in recovery and a lot less sensitive to light than they were last week…”
Looking to the future
Hopefully, this improvement will continue until Clare’s eyes are completely healed. As a results of this experience, she is no longer going to stand near a smart meter if she is measuring RF and instead will set up a tripod to film the meter as it captures the RF pulses. (I would strongly urge anyone else who wants to – or needs to film – an EMR test meter to document smart meter emissions to set up a tripod and stay away from the meter or meters to avoid this type of risk.)
Are you experiencing eye pain?
Based on Clare Swinney’s experience, if you have a smart meter installed at your home (especially in a location where you spend a significant amount of time such as near your bed or work desk) and you have been experiencing eye pain, it is a good idea to consult your doctor and/or optometrist to check for other causes of the pain. However, it may be prudent to consider whether the smart meter (and/or any other wireless devices you have in your home) may be causing (or contributing) to the problem.
Smart meter related health (or other) problems can be reported to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz in confidence
Any reports of smart meter related health issues (or other problems such as fires caused by smart meters reported to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz are treated in confidence and will not be posted on the website unless written permission is given.)
Smart meters are not compulsory in NZ
It is NOT compulsory to have a smart meter in NZ and you can ask your electricity retailer to organise for the smart meter to be removed. Another possible option is for the modem and any ZigBee chip in the smart meter (these are the parts of a smart meter which produce pulses of RF radiation*) to be removed.
If you do not already have a smart meter, and do If you do not want to expose yourself to the potential risks of smart meters, which include health and fire risks, as well as higher bills, you may like to read this link to find out about how other New Zealanders are successfully preventing smart meters from being installed at their homes and businesses.
NB: If you would like to keep up to date with information about the “smart” meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. Thank you
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ and you can refuse a smart meter whether you own your own home, or if you are renting.
This is because the meter box is part of the home. (Even if you do not own the meter inside the box – most meters in NZ are NOT owned by home owners – the meter box does NOT belong to your electricity retailer; it is the property of the home owner.)
If you own your own home, the meter box is your own property.
If you rent your home, as a tenant you are entitled to “quiet enjoyment” of the home that you are renting.
Considering that smart meters have health risks and privacy risks which could interfere with your enjoyment of your rented home (and, if you live in an urban area, emissions from a smart meter at your home could potentially adversely affect your neighbours) these seem like very good reasons to refuse a smart meter.
Please note that I am not a lawyer so this post should not be misconstrued as legal advice.
Many New Zealanders, both home owners and people who are renting, have successfully refused smart meters.
If you do not want to expose yourself to the potential risks of smart meters, which include health and fire risks, as well as higher bills, you may like to read this linkto find out about how other New Zealanders are successfully preventing smart meters from being installed at their homes and businesses.
To stay up to date with the smart meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
In the video below you can see footage that local journalist Clare Swinney took while visiting her friend Maxine who had had two smart meters installed at her home by her electricity retailer.
The meters are both EDMI Atlas Mk7A smart meters. These are a common type of smart meter in NZ.
As you can see, on one visit to Maxine’s house the smart meter (or smart meters, if they were transmitting simultaneously) was measured as producing a pulse of RF radiation* of 240,000 microwatts per square meter (240mW/m2).
On a second occasion the reading was 418,000 microwatts per square metre (418 mW/m2) .
This is a concern because the independent scientists who collaborated to produce the BioInitiative report recommends a maximum exposure limit of 1000 microwatts per square metre.
Maxine was not informed by her electricity company that the meter would produce microwave radiation.
NB: If you do not want to expose yourself to the potential risks of smart meters, which include health and fire risks, as well as higher bills, you may like to read this linkto find out about how other New Zealanders are successfully preventing smart meters from being installed at their homes and businesses.
To stay up to date with the smart meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
NB: Clare Swinney developed eye pain following the filming of this high pulse of microwave radiation, as is detailed at this link. If you want to film a smart meter, please do not risk the health of your eyes by standing close to the meter while filming it. Please use a tripod.
*Also known as microwave radiation
NB: The test meter used was a Cornet ED 78S model EMR test meter. While this is not a professional level meter, it is reasonably accurate.
A recent article in the Otago Daily Times emphasised the fact that it is possible to refuse to have a smart meter in NZ. (This is because there is NO law or regulation in NZ that obliges either companies in the electricity industry to install smart meters, or for customers to accept them.)
The article quotes Rob Hutchins of Oamaru as saying:
“The [anti-smart meter] movement has taken off and a lot more people know about it.
“In some places, especially in the USA, it’s actually a criminal offence to install them in some counties and cities … such is the concern.”
Do you want to be able to access the internet without the potential health risks from the microwave radiation emitted by a wi-fi router…but have been worried that a hard-wired solution is too expensive?
Good news! It’s not.
“Hard-wiring” an internet connection need not require expensive cabling within a home. It can be done using an existing copper phone line connection with a line filter for each phone line. (These line filters cost less than $20 each).
The price of the ethernet cabling to connect the computers to a router depends on the distance between the router and the computers. If they are close together, it can be less than $20.
Many modern routers are dual purpose wireless/wired and a representative of your internet company can instruct you over the phone how to disable the wireless capacity of a dual purpose router. (Please note that if you re-set your router for any reason, the wireless capacity will be turned back on again.)
You also need to turn off the modems within your computer.
(Please note that I do not have an iPad so I have not been able to try this out for myself and I cannot take any responsibility for whether or not it works or is suitable for all varieties of iPad.)
About this website: The website www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz primarily provides information about smart meters but also includes information about other wireless technologies. For more useful information on this issue, please go to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz and sign up for our free email newsletter.
An article in the Malborough Express on January 18, 2015 discusses ongoing smart meter roll outs in the Malborough area.
The article stated that currently 40% of people in Malborough have a smart meter but the companies in the electricity industry want to increase this to 100% by the end of the year.
The reporter mentioned that a local Facebook page included complaints that smart meters had been installed without customers’ permission.
The article did not state that smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ.
If you do not want to expose yourself to the potential risks of smart meters, which include health and fire risks, as well as higher bills, you may like to read this link to find out about how other New Zealanders are successfully preventing smart meters from being installed at their homes and businesses.
To stay up to date with the smart meter issue in NZ, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
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