New licence fees coming on 1 July 2026
Following the RSM Fees Review 2025, radio spectrum licence fees will be raised on 1 July 2026 to cover the full cost of managing and administering radio spectrum licences.
Radio Spectrum Management (RSM) ensures New Zealanders have access to radio spectrum for a range of wireless services, and that wireless services operate without interference. To fund this work, radio spectrum users pay annual licence fees.
Following a scheduled review of radio spectrum licensing fees, Cabinet has agreed to update existing fees so they reflect the full cost of managing and administering radio spectrum licences.
The fees currently in place were set in 2017 at levels below cost in order to:
- return a significant memorandum account surplus to users, and
- bring the account back to a sustainable balance.
New fees as of 1 July 2026
The updated fees are lower than those originally proposed in the 2025 consultation document. After considering public feedback and completing a 2025 review, the fees were refined to align with an updated cost recovery model.
- The standard licence fee applies to 98.6 per cent of all licences.
- The standard fee will increase by 27 per cent. This is less than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which has increased by 32.1 per cent since the fees were last set in 2017.
| Licence Type | Previous Fee | New Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur radio and spectrum licences | $50.00 | $66.00 |
| Amateur radio and spectrum licences | $600.00 | $800.00 |
| Land mobile over 5 pager/repeaters | $1,500.00 | $1,800.00 |
| Standard licence fee | $150.00 | $190.00 |
Please direct any questions that you have in relation to the submission process, or the content of the discussion document, to Radio.Spectrum@mbie.govt.nz with the subject line ‘RSM Fees Review’.