About us

This website is managed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Read more about the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on their website.
References to the Ministry of Economic Development should be read as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is responsible for providing policy advice to government on the allocation of New Zealand's radio spectrum, and administering the Radiocommunications Act 1989 and supporting Radiocommunications Regulations 2001.

We are committed to ensuring that our policy and planning processes, as well as our administration of the national Register of Radio Frequencies, licensing, compliance and enforcement, and radio frequency interference (RFI) investigation, are fast, simple and effective, and maximise the use of on-line services wherever possible.

There are four main roles within the overall responsibility:
 

Radio Spectrum Policy

• Advice to government on legislation to support the allocation and management of the radio spectrum resource.
• Advice to government on the creation and disposal, and/or retention, of spectrum property rights.
• Advice to government on the administration of radio licences.
• Development of medium to long-term spectrum allocation strategies.
• Representing New Zealand’s treaty and policy interests in inter-governmental organisations like the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT).

Radio Spectrum Planning

• Advice on the medium to long-term trends in wireless technologies and demand for spectrum.
• Developing technical frameworks to support the allocation and management of the spectrum resource in New Zealand.
• Publishing radio licensing band plans and technical rules.
• Representing New Zealand's technical planning interests at international radio spectrum forums including those run by the ITU, APT and IEEE.

Radio Spectrum Management (RSM)

• Administering the online Register of Radio Frequencies (for all radio licences, spectrum licences and management rights).
• Administering radio licensing.
• Administering the accreditation of radio engineers and certifiers, and operator certificate examiners.
• Radio frequency interference (RFI) investigation.
• Compliance and enforcement, including administering the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) compliance framework for electrical and radio products.
• Public information (website) and support (call centre) services.
   

Crown Spectrum Management

• Administering the disposal (including by sale or auction) of Crown management rights and spectrum licences in accordance with government decisions.
• Ongoing administration of spectrum licences in Crown-retained management right bands.
• Publishing spectrum licensing band plans and technical rules (for Crown-retained spectrum property rights).

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