Police have appealed to anyone who saw anything suspicious or has dashcam footage from State Highway 8 Lindis Pass - Tarras Road between 7am and 1pm Sunday, when the tower was significantly damaged.
Ian Hooker, chief executive of the Rural Connectivity Group, which owns the towers on behalf of the major network providers, said the vandalised tower serves as a linking site for another, meaning two of the Pass's five towers were out of service.
He said the outage was a safety risk, especially at this time of year.
Police were contacted about 10.50am on Sunday with reports of damage to the tower, between Forest Range Station and Goodger Rd.
In a statement last night, Detective Phill Hamlin, of Cromwell, said the tower provided cellular service for residents and travellers in the area.
"Cellular service is especially critical in this rural and alpine area.
"Rural areas tend to rely on fewer cell towers to cover larger areas, and damage to these towers can cause significant reduction or complete loss of cell service in the area."
— Police 105, reference number 250707/0047 or Crime Stoppers 0800 555 111.
— APL, additional reporting RNZ
