Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:641;Page:11044] 
7.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister for the Environment 
: Is he concerned that the proposed national environmental standards for telecommunications facilities would allow masts and antennas for wireless telecommunications networks to be stationed on road reserve all over New Zealand without needing resource consent? 
Hon DAVID PARKER (Acting Minister for the Environment) 
: 
 No I am not concerned. The installation of low-impact masts and small antennas is already permitted without the need for resource consent in the majority of district plans. The proposed national environmental standards will ensure consistency and allowable thresholds across districts. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can he confirm that if the new standards go ahead in future people will have absolutely no say as to whether that will happen right outside their front gate or school? 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: No I cannot confirm that. What I can confirm is that large structures like traditional cellphone towers are not covered by the standards but that smaller antennas that sometimes sit on power poles are. I can also confirm that this Government unlike National will not gut the Resource Management Act but will advance sensible measures to ensure consistency across the country and to lower compliance costs. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: Is it not the case that the proposed national environmental standards for telecommunications facilities were largely written by the telecommunications industries which got everything they wanted in it; and will he now be asking Federated Farmers and the coal industry to write the national environmental standards for fresh water? 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: No I am sure the Ministry for the Environment took into account more than industry submissions in the drafting of the draft national environmental standards and I am sure it will take appropriate note of all of the public submissions that have been made upon the draft. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can he confirm that under the new standards there will be no restrictions on how many antennas and other equipment can be added to telephone poles on road reserves all around New Zealand; no requirement to consult or even inform people when new equipment is installed outside their homes and schools; no restrictions on the uses that telecommunications companies could make of these new technologies; and no requirement to take into account the health effects of the new technologies; and why would his Government support these unreasonable requirements? 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: No I cannot confirm all of those matters. I can confirm that one of the concerns that have been raised in submissions is that without restriction there could be a proliferation of these things so that some telephone poles start looking like hedgehogs. I agree that is an appropriate concern and I am sure that will be one of the matters that will be taken into account in the drafting of the final standards. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I seek leave to table two documents from the United Kingdom pointing out the health concerns of increased radiation exposure. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.