Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell emphasizes the importance of revamping the “deteriorating” radio networks for emergency services to save lives during major events. The Land Mobile Radio Network will offer frontline emergency responders, including police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), Wellington Free Ambulance, and St John, with an encrypted, resilient, digital radio communication system. This project marks a New Zealand first as these agencies will be consolidated on the same radio network, officially launched in Christchurch.
The initiative is part of the $1.4 billion Public Safety Network rollout over the next decade, focusing on infrastructure upgrades for emergency services. The Land Mobile Radio Network is a significant component of these costs.
This plan comes in response to shortcomings identified during responses to major emergencies such as Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023, the Auckland floods in January and February 2023, and the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019.
In addition to digitalizing radio communication services, the broader project includes a personal alerting service for emergency services and a cellular roaming service, enabling emergency responders to utilize both the Spark and One New Zealand networks. Minister Mitchell stated that this project will “save lives” by addressing the outdated legacy system currently in place.
Inspector Kerei Gray, the Police Public Safety Network implementation manager, acknowledges the limitations of the current system and the need for increased resilience in radio communications for emergency services. Chris Laufale, the St John Public Safety Network business change manager, highlights the significance of having all agencies under one roof for improved communication and collaboration.
The digitalization of police communications was initially proposed in 2010 under the John Key National government. The rollout will undergo a trial period in South Canterbury before expanding to other regions across New Zealand.
