IR-01-26-9573
8 April 2026
Mike Hunua
[FYI request #34121 email]
Tēnā koe Mike
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 17 March 2026, in which
you asked for information regarding Next Generation Critical Communication’s (NGCC)
Public Safety Network (PSN) Land Mobile Radio (LMR) network.
My response to each part of your request can be found below.
NGCC’s primary purpose is to develop and implement a new, secure, and resilient digital
communication ecosystem of solutions for frontline emergency services responders, the
PSN. NGCC was created in 2021 to deliver the PSN for the four core emergency service
agencies (New Zealand Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Hato Hone St John,
Wel ington Free Ambulance). A key component of the PSN is the new Land Mobile Radio
network. NGCC is responsible for managing the LMR network’s vendor, Tait Systems
New Zealand, on behalf of the emergency services, to deliver the LMR network. The
emergency services are responsible for how the LMR network wil be used.
1. Wil PSN LMR stil al ow interoperability with the likes of forestry companies,
Civil defence, industrial and airports fire brigades, with FENZ, recognised
community patrols with police and PRIME units with Ambulance?
The PSN LMR network has been designed to enable improved interoperability for the
emergency services’ frontline responders including providing common channels to
support multi-agency operations.
Today it is only the four core emergency service agencies in scope to use the LMR
network. Each Agency is making their own decisions on how they wil continue to
communicate with the organisations they work alongside today once the new LMR
network is in place.
It is possible other organisations playing key roles in public safety and emergency
management wil be considered for future use of the LMR network.
2. How will PSN fit with CIMS?
The PSN LMR network wil replace existing radio networks used by frontline emergency
services and wil fil a critical communications role for any major incident that requires a
CIMS response. Additional functionality introduced with the PSN LMR wil al ow
emergency services to access liaison channels, where first responders in each of these
agencies can communicate directly with one another. The use of these liaison channels
wil be governed by relevant process and standard operating procedures agreed by all
agencies.
3. How wil the logistics of PSN LMR work between agencies? Wil response
agencies talk on each other’s channels, or wil there be dedicated liaison
channels, and how wil they be assigned in a major incident, given historically
emergency services have had their own communication plans for only their
own agencies and in such situations as the Mosque attack in Christchurch,
that communications were confused and frantic as per the Royal Commission
be prevented on the new system?
Emergency services wil use their own radio channels for day-to-day operations. Where
the use of liaison channels is required for multi-agency events, then their use wil be
subject to process and standard operating procedures that are agreed by all agencies.
Details of how these processes wil work on PSN LMR are stil being worked out between
the agencies involved.
4. Will NGCC mandate the use of plain voice on PSN LMR, given that the
prowords and radio voice code structure used by Police, Fire and Ambulance
are al very different? How wil NGCC ensure confusion wil not occur when
interagency communications are in use?
The use of liaison channels wil be agreed by al agencies to ensure there is clear line of
command, no confusion and communications are clear. Details of how these processes
wil work on PSN LMR are stil being worked out between the agencies involved.
Please note that as part of its commitment to openness and transparency, Police
proactively releases some information and documents that may be of interest to the
public. An anonymised version of this response may be publicly released on the New
Zealand Police website.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Stephen Ferguson
Director, Next Generation Critical Communications
New Zealand Police
