A towering worry: Residents feel ‘powerless’ in shadow of cell towers

Sunday, 14 June 2026

Spark’s contractor Connexa is planning to install 800 more cell towers around New Zealand. There are already 2600 in place.

Those affected feel powerless and worry about the impact on their property values.

Connexa has played down concerns around visual pollution.

A property expert says, as the towers are on council land, there no grounds for residents to object.

George Sangster is worried a giant cell tower will cost him and his partner, Jill Plackett, the chance of moving to a retirement home.

“It’s not going to be long till we can no longer stay here,” Sangster, 92, says of the Pāpāmoa home he and Plackett, 87, have lived in for 20 years.

“If one of us ‘goes’, the other will definitely have to sell and move.”

Their problem is that telco giant Spark, through its contractor Connexa, wants to put a 5.5m tower near their property. Construction is imminent and there are fears it will have a negative impact on the neighbouring houses’ values.

“I’m worried about the value of our property with it there,” Sangster said. “Surely there are better places for it to go?”

The tower and a power box will be built directly outside their neighbour Gay MacKenzie’s house.

When asked what she thought of Spark and Connexa’s plans, MacKenzie said: “I’m not sure you can report what I really want to say.

“I’m frustrated. Why are they putting it right beside my house? There is plenty of bare land elsewhere they can put their pole on.

Email the reporter: jim.kayes@stuffdigital.co.nz

“I feel very powerless,” the 86-year-old said.

MacKenzie, who has lived in her house for 16 years, was also concerned about her property value.

Award-winning Barfoot & Thompson agent Shelley Grieve said there was no question the towers would impact property values.

“Fewer people will be interested and that will have a detrimental effect on prices. It would certainly be more advantageous for it not to be there.”

And property lawyer Carole Smith said there was no recourse for compensation because the berms where the towers were being placed were owned by councils.

“There is no right to object on the basis of loss of value or loss of view,” says Smith, a partner at Auckland-based law firm Heimsath Alexander.

“Just because it’s ugly is not a consideration.”

Connexa says about 800 cell towers will be built around New Zealand over the next eight years, adding to the 2600 already in place.

The McKillops, another Pāpāmoa family, met Connexa last week. They want a tower and 1.8m-tall power box planned for outside their property moved elsewhere.

Reuben McKillop said the meeting was constructive but they were still “in limbo” as to where the tower would go.

“[Connexa] provided a presentation as to why they chose our berm for the proposed tower, and discussed alternative sites they had previously considered, all within approximately 200m, and the reasons they were discarded.”

McKillop said Connexa revealed another site was being considered “however, it's a discretionary decision from the Tauranga City Council, whereas our berm is, effectively, a sure thing”.

McKillop has warned that others will face the same issues they are facing.

“It’s our front berm here, but it is kind of everyone’s front berm because it is only a matter of time till someone else gets that letter in the mail and it is their front lawn. That’s why we need to protect people.”

Andrew Morrison, a neighbour of Sangster, Plackett and MacKenzie, has suggested several alternative sites to Connexa for the tower proposed outside their properties, but to no avail.

“My neighbours and I should not be subsidising the social cost that Connexa/Spark is imposing on us by locating such a large and bulky industrial-sized tower within such close proximity to our properties.

“The tower should be located in an open area not immediately adjacent to existing residential properties.

“There is nothing in or around the residential areas of Doncaster Drive that comes close to the height and bulk of the planned tower. I have lived here for 18 years. This is an existing, long established, residential area. The tower will be completely out of character and out of place in our neighbourhood.”

Fiona Mathews, Connexa’s planning and engagement lead, has previously played down concerns around visual pollution.

“Experience has shown that, once constructed and operational, these facilities generally become an accepted part of the surrounding streetscape.”

She said building a new mobile site was a significant investment and “a delicate balancing exercise” to ensure maximum coverage.

She noted Connexa had to adhere to the relevant legislation (or obtain the necessary approvals), have access to power and fibre, and avoid interference from other radio infrastructure, or be blocked by terrain, buildings, or trees.

“Our planners always consider the visual impact the infrastructure may have on the surrounding community, and endeavour to find solutions that accommodate the widest range of needs,” Mathews said.

“Ultimately, we must make our decision based on what is best for the community at large and find an appropriate balance between all these factors.”