"I am pleased to see a co-operative approach to try and address the placement of cell sites and towers," said Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Development Minister Jim Anderton in Christchurch today.

"It is an innovative solution to have the Christchurch City Council work with the mobile telecommunications industry in partnership to locate mobile phone sites in Christchurch away from people.

"A successful economy depends heavily on modern, high-tech infrastructure such as mobile phone networks.

"The Christchurch City Council's new mobile phone sites process will help facilitate the development of mobile phone networks in the city, while accommodating local people's views."

"This solution developed here in Christchurch seems to me to have the potential to work for everyone; the community, the Council and the companies.

"New Zealanders are known for our ability to adapt and change. Where a new tool is useful, New Zealanders will use it," said Jim Anderton.

Nearly two million New Zealanders have a cell phone, and an estimated 180,000 Cantabrians have mobile phones.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>