What Is New Zealand's Public Safety Network?
The Public Safety Network is the government's long-term upgrade of emergency services communications. It's delivered by SafetyNet Critical Communications, the Crown company that took over from Next Generation Critical Communications (NGCC) on 1 July 2026.
The programme represents an investment of $1.7 billion over 10 years to build and operate the networks and put new devices into emergency services staff hands, stations and vehicles. Think of it less as a single network and more as a toolkit with three parts.
Land Mobile Radio (LMR)
A nationwide, encrypted digital radio network built to the P25 standard by Tait Systems NZ, a subsidiary of Tait Communications. It covers around 500 sites, many in rugged terrain, and for the first time puts all four emergency services on the same radio network.
If P25 is new to you, our guide on what P25 radio is and why it matters for public safety covers the standard in more depth.
PSN Cellular Services
Emergency-grade mobile services delivered with Hourua. Cellular Roaming lets users move between the Spark and One NZ networks, while Cellular Priority gives emergency service users access ahead of other traffic when those networks are congested or degraded.
Personal alerting
The third element modernises the pager-style alerting used to call out staff and volunteers, a big deal for volunteer fire brigades and rural responders.
Radio, cellular and alerting working together: that's the model every other organisation should be paying attention to.
What Changed with the PSN in 2026?
The most visible step this year has been on the dispatch side. Tait contracted Zetron to supply the voice consoles that emergency communications centres use to talk to crews in the field over the new P25 network.
Implementation of those consoles wrapped up in the first half of 2026. New Zealand Police and Fire and Emergency NZ have both migrated and are using them, with Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance to follow.
The consoles are also built to support future SafetyNet services, including push-to-talk over cellular and standards-based mission critical voice, video and data.
| When | PSN milestone |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | New PSN radios installed across the entire Hato Hone St John emergency ambulance and first response fleet: 760 radios across 18 vehicle types |
| First half of 2026 | Zetron voice console implementation completed |
| 1 July 2026 | SafetyNet Critical Communications launched, replacing NGCC, and began onboarding new PSN Cellular customers |
| October 2026 | Police and FENZ confirmed as migrated to the new consoles; St John and Wellington Free Ambulance to follow |
A lone worker feature worth noticing
One practical feature on the PSN radios is Emergency Alert, which lets frontline staff working alone raise the alarm so support can be directed to their location. Hato Hone St John has highlighted it as a key benefit for its solo responders.
If your organisation has staff working alone in remote areas, that's not just emergency services news. It's the same lone worker problem you already have a duty to manage.
Who Else Can Use the Public Safety Network?
Here's the part that gets less airtime. SafetyNet's mandate now extends beyond Police, FENZ and the two ambulance services.
SafetyNet offers its PSN Cellular Services on a commercial, user-pays basis to other organisations involved in public safety and emergency management. Around 60 central and local government entities, not-for-profits, and infrastructure and lifelines companies had already expressed interest before the first customers came on board.
The first new PSN Cellular customers include:
- National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
- Maritime New Zealand, including its Rescue Coordination Centre
- Surf Life Saving New Zealand
- Selwyn District Council
In other words, the people who clear the roads, run the water, launch the rescue boat and open the civil defence centre are now part of the same conversation.
If your organisation turns up when the sirens do, this network is heading your way. The question is what you build around it.
What Happens to Your Comms if the Network Goes Down?
Not in theory. On the night of the next big storm, when the cell towers are on battery, the power's out and your crew is halfway up a slip.
The PSN answers that question for the emergency services. Most other organisations haven't answered it yet. And the honest answer is rarely a single product.
Think of it like a rope access setup: you never trust your weight to one line. Each communications layer covers a gap the others can leave.
Digital two-way radio for group calls
A digital two-way radio network gives instant one-to-many calls that don't depend on the public cellular network. For a council roading crew or a coastguard unit, that's the layer that keeps working when phones stop.
Cellular signal boosting for patchy coverage
Cellular signal boosters lift weak coverage inside stations, depots and vehicles. Even PSN Cellular relies on the Spark and One NZ networks, so a stronger signal where your people actually work makes every cellular service more useful.
Starlink and satellite as backup connectivity
Starlink gives remote sites and command posts an internet link that doesn't depend on local terrestrial infrastructure. It needs power to run, so plan for that, but it's a strong backup when fibre or cellular backhaul is cut.
GPS tracking so you know where everyone is
GPS fleet and asset tracking shows where your vehicles and people are, which is exactly what a coordinator needs when crews are spread across a region during an event.
For a structured way to test your current setup, our disaster-resilient communication systems guide and civil defence resilience checklist go deeper.
Resilience isn't a product you buy. It's a plan you build before you need it.
Where Mobile Systems Fits
We've been keeping Bay of Plenty teams connected since 2000, and we've already worked on the PSN rollout. In late 2025 our technicians installed new PSN radio equipment in Hato Hone St John vehicles across our region as part of the transition.
That work gave us a close look at what the new network asks of the organisations using it. It also showed us how many others, from councils to volunteer coastguard units, are working through the same questions without a dedicated rollout team behind them.
As a brand-independent communications specialist, here's what we can do:
- Review your current setup and show you where the gaps are
- Recommend a fit-for-purpose mix of radio, cellular and satellite, not a one-brand answer
- Install and support it locally, with on-site service from our Mount Maunganui base
- Service and supply replacement hardware for organisations already operating alongside the PSN
Multi-Brand Radio
Tait, Hytera, Motorola, Icom, GME and more, so the advice fits your job rather than our stock.
Cellular and Satellite
Cellular signal boosting and Starlink installation as backup layers for stations and remote sites.
Mobile On-Site Service
In-house workshop plus mobile technicians across the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Rotorua, Taupō, South Waikato and Eastern Waikato.
You don't need to have it all worked out before you call. That's our job.
Building Communications Resilience Before You Need It
The Public Safety Network is a genuine step forward for how New Zealand responds when things go badly wrong. But the organisations working alongside the emergency services can't assume the PSN covers them, and most won't be on its radio network any time soon.
Mobile Systems Limited is 100% New Zealand owned and has been based in Mount Maunganui for over 25 years. We supply equipment nationwide, and install and service on-site across the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Rotorua, Taupō, South Waikato, the Volcanic Plateau and Eastern Waikato.
The best time to test your backup is before you need it.
