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Our Ref
DOIA 26-247
Wel ington Office
Radio New Zealand House
155 The Terrace
PO Box 5501
24 April 2026
Wellington 6145
New Zealand
T 0800 665 463
F +64 4 472 2244
Aaron
E [email address]
W www.linz.govt.nz
[FYI request #34232 email]
Tēnā koe Aaron
Response to your official information request
Thank you for your request made under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA),
transferred by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to Toitū Te Whenua
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) on 27 March 2026 for information relating to the
SouthPAN programme.
Please see LINZ’s response for each part of your request below:
1. Confirmation of whether the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) has any involvement (direct or indirect) in the SouthPAN programme.
LINZ can confirm that there is no involvement, direct or indirect, from DARPA in the
SouthPAN programme.
2. Details of any partnerships, subcontractors, or third-party agencies involved in the
programme beyond those publicly disclosed.
SouthPAN is a joint initiative between Geoscience Australia (GA) and LINZ.
Contracts for the delivery of SouthPAN are held by GA with the fol owing parties:
• Lockheed Martin Australia (ground segment infrastructure) – its main
subcontractors are Lockheed Martin Space, Zeta Associates and GMV,
• Viasat (satellite services) – its main subcontractor is SwissTo12, and
• The MITRE Corporation (safety assurance).
Separately, LINZ has contracted Airways NZ to support certification for aviation
users in New Zealand.
www.linz.govt.nz
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LINZ does not hold information about subcontracting arrangements below that
level. Those arrangements are a matter between GA’s contractors and their own
subcontractors.
3. Copies of, or access to, official documentation outlining the scope and purpose of the
contract with Lockheed Martin.
Please refer to the SouthPAN Request For Tender (Attachment 1) document for the
scope and purpose of the work.
4. Any assessments, briefings, or reports regarding potential dual-use capabilities of the
system (civilian and military applications).
SouthPAN is a public service with no specific military functionality. Unlike GPS,
which operates distinct open and military services, SouthPAN provides open
services only. LINZ does not hold any information regarding dual-use or military
applications of the SouthPAN system. This part of your request is therefore formal y
refused under section 18(g) of the OIA, as the information is not held by LINZ and
we do not believe it is held elsewhere.
5. Any privacy, security, or surveillance impact assessments conducted in relation to
SouthPAN.
LINZ conducted a Privacy Impact Assessment (Attachment 2) in relation to
SouthPAN. Some information has been withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the OIA to
protect the privacy of natural persons.
No security or surveil ance impact assessments were conducted, as SouthPAN is a
one-way broadcast service that does not col ect, transmit, or store user data and
has no capability to track or identify individual devices or users. Insofar as your
request relates to such information, this part is therefore refused under
section 18(g) of the OIA, for the reason outlined above.
6. Clarification on whether SouthPAN is intended to integrate with, support, or operate
alongside existing or planned telecommunications infrastructure, including 5G networks
or broader “smart city” systems.
SouthPAN is a satellite-based positioning service that improves the accuracy of
location data available to compatible devices. SouthPAN was not designed with 5G
or smart city systems in mind, but devices used in those systems may be able to
utilise SouthPAN and benefit from the improved accuracy it provides.
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It is also worth noting that SouthPAN does not track devices. SouthPAN broadcasts
a signal, and it is the receiving device that uses that signal to determine its own
location.
7.
Details of any
ground-based infrastructure located within New Zealand that supports
SouthPAN, including but not limited to reference stations, uplink facilities, or monitoring
sites, and their general locations and functions.
SouthPAN's ground-based infrastructure in New Zealand comprises three types of
facilities: GNSS Reference Stations (GRS), Ground Control Centres (GCC), and
Correction Processing Facilities (CPF). These are connected via the SouthPAN Wide
Area Network and work together to monitor satel ite signals, process corrections,
and uplink data to the SouthPAN geostationary satel ite. Further technical details on
the SouthPAN system architecture can be found in the SouthPAN
Service Definition
Document for Signal-In-Space Open Services. The New Zealand instal ations will be located at the fol owing sites:
• GCC and CPF: Space Operations Awarua, Invercargil – this facility serves as
the satellite ground control and uplink processing centre for New Zealand,
housing dual radio frequency uplinks and a control centre.
• GRS: Space Operations Awarua (Invercargil ), Timaru Airport, Tākaka Airport,
Gisborne Airport, Auckland Airport, and Chatham Islands Airport – these
reference stations receive GNSS signals from satellites and send the data to
the correction processing facilities.
Where information has been withheld under section 9 of the OIA, we are of the view the
withholding of the information is not outweighed by the public interest to make that
information available.
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.
Please note, this response letter outlining our decision on your request,
with your
personal details withheld, and any attached documentation wil be published on the
LINZ website. This is likely to be published by 29 May 2026.
Nāku noa, nā
Michael Appleyard
Head of Location Information
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