The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) meets the streets of New Plymouth, with new Cell Phone Towers being installed on berms outside homes by a company called Connexa.
The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) meets the streets of New Plymouth, with new Cell Phone Towers being installed on berms outside homes by a company called Connexa.
This is one of the types of stories we write that we know people are going to be very unhappy about. This is an absolute David and Goliath story, with multiple homeowners across New Plymouth (and NZ) as the David’s - and the NZ Government, The United Nations, and a Global Infrastructure Corporation as one huge massive Goliath.
It seems absolutely impossible for the people affected here to be able to do anything about what is going on, so we seriously thought about not putting this story out. We decided we would because:
- On one hand if people don’t know what our Government has done on our behalf, without our knowledge, we can never quite figure out why things are happening as they are,
- And, at least 6 more New Plymouth neighbourhoods are going to be affected by these new Cell Phone Towers,
- And, on the other hand we are hopeful that someone who has been involved in the Telecommunications Industry may see this story, or be forwarded this story, and may have some idea of loopholes that may be explored with the situation our city (and country) finds itself in.
- Or, residents who have dealt with Connexa in other cities of NZ may see our story and have advice of things that have worked for changes with their towers
So how have we got to a situation where a company no one in New Plymouth has heard about turns up and starts telling people they are putting up multiple massive cell phone towers across town, on people’s berms, right outside their houses, and there is nothing they can do about it, as legislation is all in place for them to do pretty much whatever they choose.
Over around 15 years, successive NZ Governments – both Labour Coalitions and National Coalitions - have enabled changes to our laws and enabled changes within our Telecommunications regulations, where people no longer know what is happening and consultation became obsolete as these changes have been made.
- Those changes are now playing out on the streets in New Plymouth (and NZ).
So, how did a United Nations International Treaty become part of NZ legislation where around 800 of these massive towers are to hit NZ streets in coming years ?
To start with, one of the Coalitions signed us up for The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) treaty.
The United Nations ITU's work underpins mobile phones, internet, satellite navigation, weather forecasting, and all wireless/telecommunications globally. Member States sign up to legally binding instruments which each country must adhere to. NZ is a member state.
Here is a link to the United Nations ITU here:
https://ccdcoe.org/organisations/itu/
Here is the link to NZ signing the United Nations treaty:
https://www.treaties.mfat.govt.nz/search/details/t/3792/960
Compliance with the United Nations ITU Treaty is managed by Radio Spectrum Management, an arm of MBIE with the NZ Government.
New Zealand is a member state of the ITU through ongoing government participation, represented by Radio Spectrum Management (RSM) within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).[rsm.govt]
Of interest in our research New Zealand did not agree with the 2012 revision of the ITU Constitution/Convention and did not sign the Final Acts of that revision.[mbie.govt]
But with current representation (unclear what year) New Zealand's interests are represented by:
- Radio Spectrum Management (RSM) officials at ITU meetings. Participation in ITU World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC) every 4 years[rsm.govt]
- Through the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) regional forum[rsm.govt]
How United Nations ITU Policy Becomes NZ Law
New Zealand implements United Nations ITU policies through a streamlined "by reference" incorporation mechanism rather than requiring new legislation for every update.
Primary Legal Mechanism
The ITU International Radio Regulations are incorporated into New Zealand domestic legislation by reference in Schedule 1 of the Radiocommunications Act 1989.[mbie.govt]
This means:
- When the ITU updates its Radio Regulations (at the World Radiocommunications Conference, WRC), they automatically become part of NZ law through the existing Act
- No separate parliament legislation is needed for each ITU amendment [treaties.mfat.govt]
- The Act acts as the "transmission belt" bringing international standards into domestic law. (without consultation with the public, before it becomes law).
The Process Flow – What Happens:
- ITU WRC Meeting - Global conference every 4 years revises ITU Radio Regulations [vhf]
- NZ Representation - Radio Spectrum Management (RSM) in MBIE represents NZ, develops positions through IMP Group and APT coordination [rsm.govt]
- Automatic Incorporation - Revised ITU Radio Regulations incorporated into NZ law by reference in Radiocommunications Act 1989 Schedule 1 [mbie.govt]
- Domestic Implementation - MBIE implements changes through licensing system when beneficial to NZ (e.g., 5G frequencies) [mbie.govt]
This mechanism implements:
- ITU-R Radio Regulations (spectrum allocation, frequency assignments)[vhf]
- Technical standards developed by ITU-T[itu]
- ITU policy on spectrum management, cybersecurity, and digital development[ccdcoe]
This “efficient” approach allows NZ to maintain international alignment with global telecommunications standards while retaining domestic flexibility to implement only beneficial changes through MBIE's administrative licensing system.[rsm.govt]
So how does MBIE determine benefit for New Zealanders with the United Nations ITU changes to our laws ?
What is the Stakeholder Consultation Process ?
MBIE uses the Radio Sector Group (RSG) as the primary mechanism to determine benefit for NZ:
- RSG is a national forum where MBIE discusses, debates, and seeks input from stakeholders on spectrum management issues[rsm.govt]
- Stakeholders include: government ministries, telecommunication service operators (including broadcasting), spectrum licensees, and other industry stakeholders[rsm.govt]
- RSG shares views on the development of NZ's radio spectrum environment, including ITU-R and APT work[rsm.govt]
We note – there is no mention of the everyday people who live in NZ being a stakeholder to this process. The government and the telecommunications providers, who profit from providing these services, are the people who determine what laws will be of “benefit” to NZ.
- Would the focus of those benefits be focussed on the “benefit” to each company’s profits ?
So, the Ratepayers Alliance went to a meeting with representatives for the Ngamotu Road residents, and Glen Avon residents, and we listened for over an hour to the very well rehearsed representative from Connexa (a new player in our Telecommunications Industry in NZ) telling us of the multiple laws which enable them to NOT have a consent application turned down, and how legislation “encourages” that the placement of these massive new towers is NOT to be in reserves and “encouraged” to be on berms outside people’s homes.
Every question asked in this meeting was met with a very well rehearsed answer of the various new laws which apply to placement of Cell Phone Towers.
So, who is Connexa ?
Connexa in New Zealand is owned by two global infrastructure investors: Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and La Caisse, who each hold a 50% stake, of what was previously owned by Spark. Connnexa owns the infrastructure of the towers, not the wiring or signal strength (active side) of the service delivery.
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan infrastructure portfolio is part of its broader $266.3 billion investment strategy to deliver retirement security for over 343,000 members in Canada. They focus on high-quality core and core-plus infrastructure that delivers essential services to society, such as utilities, transportation, airports, power, and digital infrastructure like cell towers and data centers.
La Caisse is Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), is a Canadian global investment group, and they are active in the major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt, and have $473CAD billion in net assets. ($583 billion NZ dollars).
In Connexa’s deal history, La Caisse acquired Spark New Zealand’s 17% stake plus a 33% stake from Ontario Teachers’, and after approvals (by the overseas investment office of the NZ Government) La Caisse and Ontario Teachers’ each held 50% of Connexa.
This is a link to the NZ Stock Exchange announcement of these deals in Dec 2024.
https://www.nzx.com/announcements/443591
In this agreement, Spark has a contract with Connexa, which guarantees they are a major customer for this company. This removes a lot of risk for Connexa entering the NZ Market, as they are guaranteed an income.
But who else is helping to make sure Connexa receives a guaranteed income ?
The NZ government (via a government-backed fund) has awarded Connexa a contract through Spark.
Key deal details:
Contract awarded by:
National Infrastructure Fund and Financing (NIFF) — a government infrastructure fund [connexa.co]
Partner:
Spark (in partnership with Connexa) [connexa.co]
Purpose:
Enhance resilience of 295 Spark mobile cell towers across NZ by upgrading battery back-up capacity to 24 hours [connexa.co]
Impact:
Maintains mobile connectivity during power outages for up to 1.7 million addresses [connexa.co]
This is not a direct government-to-Connexa contract, but rather a contract awarded by the government's National Infrastructure Fund and Financing to Spark-Connexa jointly for infrastructure resilience work.
What does NIFF fund ?
Water, transport (including cycleways/public transport), community amenities, environmental resilience (flood protection), and connectivity infrastructure like the mobile tower resilience project with Connexa/Spark.[nationalinfrastructure.govt]
NIFF acts as the government's "investor shopfront" and facilitator, working with councils, developers, landowners, and private sector to assess feasibility and advance transactions.[nationalinfrastructure.govt]
How much did Spark and Connexa get from this fund to upgrade batteries in the towers they provide commercially to customers ?
$6.4M NZ Taxpayer funded dollars – or taxpayer paid debt.
This is a short version of an announcement from Connexa’s CEO:
Spark, in partnership with Connexa, has been awarded a contract by National Infrastructure Fund and Financing (NIFF) to enhance the resilience of 295 Spark mobile cell towers across New Zealand
Connexa CEO, Rob Berrill said “As New Zealand’s leading mobile tower infrastructure provider, we play a critical role in supporting the resilient infrastructure that underpins mobile connectivity when conditions are at their toughest. We’re proud to be partnering with Spark and NIFF on these upgrades to strengthen back-up power at key sites to 24 hours so communities can rely on mobile services for longer during extended outages.”
The increased battery capacity is co-funded by Connexa, Spark, and the Government. Of the $6.4 million allocated by the Government to this fund, $4 million has been contracted to support the upgrades for the 295 sites.
- It is not mentioned where the other $2.4 million will be spent.
This is the link to this full announcement from Connexa:
Obviously back up batteries are an integral part of providing Cell Phone Towers - and are badly needed in an emergency situation – but the taxpayers are fronting up with money, for three major corporates, 2 whose profits leave the country to benefit pension funds overseas. Providing batteries with a Cell Phone Tower used to be a core function of providing this service to customers. When did the taxpayers start paying for corporates to increase their profits ?
- We have to ask, who profits by people in the communities not being able to object to the expansion of global corporation’s assets across the landscape of NZ ?
- Who profits from these towers being put in the easiest most accessible place for the installation company ?
- When the overseas investments office allowed this merger of a $266 billion dollar company with a $583 billion company to deliver assets for Kiwi’s, did anyone think maybe these massive Global Corporates could have perhaps shared some of their profits back with the people where they will be seriously devaluing their properties ?
Successive NZ Governments have set up the playing field for this horrendous situation to occur for everyday New Zealanders, and we are told our government has adopted laws so everyday people CAN NOT object.
We have written this story in the hope that someone who has been involved with this industry over the years may have some idea on how we can oppose what is going on with this ? Are there any loopholes, or any aspects of these towers which are not working as they should be ?
Or are there residents from other NZ cities who have dealt with Connexa already who may see this and have some advice that can help.
Please message us, or e-mail us at ratepayersnp@gmail.com
And for people who aren’t aware of what all of the people we elect in Wellington are up to, please take on board what has been going on around this one industry in NZ across all of the political parties.
There is an election later this year, so people may want to seriously start thinking about which parties might unravel these types of laws being implemented in NZ. Or people may want to start putting pressure on their MP’s to unravel these laws.
You may want to share this story with friends and family nationwide. 800 of these towers are planned across the country.
Attached is a stuff story with yet another family in Papamoa affected by Connexa installations.
Residents in New Plymouth asked where other similar towers have been installed.
Using google we can see 2 towers in Hamilton. The first thing we notice with these links is they are placed by parks and among trees.
Perhaps Hamilton is a little stricter when it comes to placing these right outside people’s homes ?
Or perhaps the laws have changed more recently ?
These 3 links show how the 2 towers are located in Hamilton:
Note in the bottom left corner of this link, this tower is outside a park, and behind trees.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fseABqRhRG2HsSFN7
Note in these 2 links, this tower is outside a rugby park.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/LunmqScCbhQvaRQ37
https://maps.app.goo.gl/3kauv4aTcwrn5n248
** A note from the Author
We have used Perplexity AI to search a lot of the information in this story. Where this information has been used, there is a link next to it with the source of that information.
We prefer using Perplexity AI as it gives more detailed information with the answers than some of the other platforms available.
Posted: Sun 14 Jun 2026