Telecommunications regulation in New Zealand

The 2001 Telecommunications Act and its later amendments set the ground rules for industry regulation.

Its goal is to promote competition between telcos so customers get the benefits of increased choice, better services and lower prices.

Before the Act, New Zealand’s telecommunications market was dominated by a private monopoly that emerged from the sale of the state-owned monopoly.

While critics at the time argued the Act merely managed the monopoly instead of breaking it, the legislation was a crucial turning point.