Photo: RNZ/ Soumya Bhamidipati
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the digitalisation was first mooted back in 2010 under the first John Key National government, when Judith Collins held the policing portfolio.
A revamp of "deteriorating" radio networks for emergency services will be paramount in saving lives in major events, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell says.
The Land Mobile Radio Network will provide 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.
In a New Zealand first, the agencies will be consolidated on the same radio network with the project rollout offically launched in Christchurch on Wednesday.
It is the first phase of the $1.4 billion Public Safety Network rollout over the next 10 years, centring on infrastructure upgrades for our emergency services.
RNZ understands the Land Mobile Radio Network makes up a significant chunk of these costs.
The plan follows failings that were highlighted during the response to major emergencies including Cyclone Gabrielle, the Auckland floods and the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks.
Alongside the digitalisation of radio communication services, the wider project includes a personal alerting service for emergency services and a cellular roaming service, ensuring emergency responders can use both the Spark and One New Zealand networks, the latter coming into effect last July.
Speaking to reporters at Wednesday's launch, Minister Mark Mitchell said the project would "save lives".
"This is huge for us as a country," he said.
"It's extremely exciting... we've got a legacy system that is deteriorating and needs to be replaced.
"We've got our first responders that are continually trying to get out there and protect their communities, respond to any incident that arises.
"At the moment they can't talk to one another because they're on different legacy systems."
Photo: RNZ / Adam Burns
Mitchell admitted the upgrades were "arguably" overdue.
"I'm sure [recent major events] were things that were considered because there's always after-action reports and it will highlight where things need to improve," he said.
"As a country, we're a relatively small nation... it makes no sense to have all of our emergency responders on different channels."
Police Public Safety Network implementation manager Inspector Kerei Gray told RNZ its current system had "limitations".
"Radio for us in New Zealand is a really critical part of our communications platform for emergency services," he said.
"Under those significant events that we've had, radio has stood up relatively well.
"But as we see more and more of these events, we need more and more resilience."
St John Public Safety Network business change manager Chris Laufale said the government had recognised the need for agencies to "be under one roof".
"From a paramedic perspective, this is massive," he said.
"We'll be able to work with our colleagues with all of the other services, we can talk to each other which is something we've never been able to do properly for years."
The digitalisation of police communications was first proposed under the Helen Clark-led Labour government as a means to prevent criminals eavesdropping on officers.
Digital radios were introduced to the Wellington district in 2009, followed by Auckland and Christchurch soon after.
It was estimated that it would cost $53 million to replace the remaining analogue networks around the country.
RNZ understands the second John Key government halted a national rollout for the remainder of the country, leaving regional police units relying on the analogue radio networks still in use at present.
Photo: RNZ / Adam Burns
The rollout will go through a trial period in South Canterbury, involving a small scale network of eight digital radio transmissions site that emergency services will use to test new radios and play out emergency scenarios.
Some of that provisional work is already under way, including the installation of radios in 7,000 emergency service vehicles and 1,500 buildings.
It will then widen to the Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland regions next year, followed by the remaining eight nation-wide territories in 2026.