The future of the radio mast at Saxton Field is now in the hands of a private deal between radio companies after Nelson City Council dropped funding for its removal as it was deemed “not a high priority”.
The council confirmed with Nelson Weekly last week that a project to shift the radio mast has been removed from the long term plan. Work on finding it a new location has stopped and staff are working on other developments at Saxton Field instead.
But mayor Aldo Miccio says removing the mast still “needs to happen” and the council was working on a deal with another radio provider in the region in the hope that services used by the Radio New Zealand mast could be transferred to it.
Aldo wouldn’t say who the other provider was but it is understood to be the Radio Rhema-owned mast at Whakapuaka.
Radio Rhema chief executive Mike Brewer says they would be open to the idea of sharing their mast with Radio NZ but that he was not aware of any negotiations to do so.
“We are always open to discussion if it will help achieve a better outcome for all parties,” he says.
Transmission manager for Radio New Zealand, Gary Fowles, says if the Whakapuaka mast satisfied its coverage requirements then he could see no problem with using it but as it stands that option hasn’t been investigated.
If a deal between Radio Rhema and Radio NZ could be struck it would mean the council wouldn’t have to find new land for the mast to go. It would simply be taken down and the land it sits on bought off Radio NZ
In 2011, the Weekly reported that sporting groups wanted the mast gone within a year and that Aldo had concerns about the radiation coming from it.
“I guess as a father with kids in the community you always tend to be concerned that there could be some possible safety concern,” he said two years ago. “We want to see it moved.”
The mast was erected at Saxton Fields in 1977, before sports field were built around it. The major obstacle in moving the mast is finding land flat and big enough to contain the 200 metre diameter area needed to support the mast and its anchors.
A 2002 report by the National Radiation Laboratory found that exposures of radio-frequency at the mast did not comply with the public limit and the outer fence was moved further out to make sure people didn’t get too close.
Sport Tasman chief executive Nigel Muir says he hasn’t heard any news on the mast’s removal.
“The issue is that is appears to be a very expensive exercise to move,” he says.
