Summary

  • RSM has received an application for one digital terrestrial television spectrum licence at MANAKAU STRAITS 2 (VFNZ), 514 MHz, with a reserve price of NZ$8,304 including GST.
  • Other interested parties have until 5 p.m. on 30 November 2026 to write to RSM. The agency will then decide whether to allocate by direct sale or a competitive process.

The general television licensing guide opens with a blunt line: “There are no licences available for television broadcasting.” It sends would-be broadcasters to existing licence holders to buy transmission capacity. On 2 November, the same regulator advertised an opening. One specific DTT spectrum licence, at a Kāpiti Coast transmit location, is now taking expressions of interest. The standing guide and the live offer describe different doors.

The offer is narrow. RSM says it has already received an application for MANAKAU STRAITS 2 (VFNZ) at 514 MHz. It quotes a reserve price of NZ$8,304 including GST. Its current opportunity page identifies the licence as 441075 and says applications must be prepared by an Approved Radio Engineer with broadcasting expertise. This is one site and one frequency, not a new national television network. The regulator names no applicant and promises no award yet.

The important sentence comes after the deadline. RSM will decide whether this licence can go by direct sale or must enter competitive allocation once the 5 p.m. 30 November interest window closes. An existing application therefore starts the clock; it does not settle who gets the frequency. A credible second expression of interest could change the route, the timetable and the price discovered through competition. The quoted NZ$8,304 is a reserve, not the final sale price or the cost of building a service.

That is why the stale-looking guide matters. A party relying on its “no licences available” line might never see the exception now advertised elsewhere on RSM’s site. RSM says it will announce the outcome on that site and in its Business Update. Until then, the record gives two concrete things to watch: whether any other qualified party comes forward, and which allocation route RSM chooses after 30 November. A public offer works only if prospective bidders can find the door.