Project STRIM warns of Golden Bay telecoms resilience gap

Project STRIM said a letter from New Zealand's communications minister confirmed the government cannot require telecoms operators to make specific resilience investments in regional backhaul networks. The group said the response exposed a gap in emergency communications protection for remote communities.

According to Project STRIM, the minister also said current satellite-to-mobile services do not yet support calls to 111. The group has been campaigning on communications resilience in Mohua, also known as Golden Bay.

The issue centres on the region's dependence on a single fibre route over Tākaka Hill. That route now carries most everyday communications for about 6,000 permanent residents and more than 15,000 summer visitors after an earlier backup microwave link appears to have been retired, Project STRIM said.

Golden Bay has suffered several major outages in recent years when the fibre link was cut. During those disruptions, the area lost mobile coverage, landline services, internet access, EFTPOS, connected medical alarms and practical access to emergency communications at the same time, the group said.

In the minister's letter, as described by the organisation, decisions about network design, redundancy and transmission routes remain operational matters for private network operators. The government also indicated it had no current plans to create a telecommunications resilience fund for community backup projects such as those proposed in Golden Bay, Project STRIM said.

Single point

The dispute highlights a wider question for rural connectivity policy in New Zealand. Public discussion has focused on expanding access through a mix of fibre, wireless and satellite services, but Project STRIM argues that coverage and resilience are not the same when a region depends on a single backhaul path.

The group said emergency communications involve more than the ability to place a 111 call. In a major outage, residents also need to contact relatives, check on neighbours, receive official information, coordinate welfare, organise a local response, process card payments, maintain medical alarm links and communicate with Civil Defence and emergency services.

That concern has sharpened as households are increasingly expected to manage their own backup arrangements. In single-pipe regions, people may now need to consider upgrading phones, smart systems, medical alerts, EFTPOS arrangements and private satellite subscriptions, while also investing in backup power and public Wi-Fi options to remain connected during another prolonged disruption, Project STRIM said.

Recent guidance from the Telecommunications Forum has advised households to prepare for telecoms services being unavailable during emergencies. Project STRIM said it supports that advice, including the need for backup plans, battery power, radios, cash, printed information and ways to check on neighbours, but argues that household preparedness should not be treated as a substitute for robust regional infrastructure.

Policy gap

The ministerial response arrived as debate continues over how best to close the rural digital divide. An industry report by Flint Global promoted a technology-neutral approach to serving the final 1.1% of isolated New Zealanders through combinations of fibre, wireless and satellite access.

For Project STRIM, however, the more immediate issue is accountability when essential links fail. Remote communities are repeatedly told resilience matters, yet no agency or operator appears clearly responsible for ensuring communications continuity when a single regional backhaul route goes down, the group said.

A spokesperson for the campaign described the distinction in direct terms. "This is the gap the public needs to understand," Project STRIM said.

"Satellite and wireless technologies are improving and absolutely have a role to play. But hoping future technology will eventually support 111 is not the same as having resilient community communications during an emergency," STRIM said.

The group said concern in Golden Bay extends beyond formal emergency calling. Feedback gathered locally showed residents were worried about the broader ability of households, neighbours, welfare centres, emergency coordinators and responders to stay in contact during a prolonged outage.

That anxiety reflects how deeply communications links are embedded in daily life and basic services. A long outage can affect not only personal contact and business trading, but also access to healthcare support, local coordination and information about what has happened, where problems lie and how long repairs may take.

Project STRIM said the unresolved question remains clear: when a whole region loses mobile service, landlines, internet, EFTPOS, medical alarm pathways and practical 111 access at once, who is responsible for ensuring communications continuity?

It set out its view in a second statement: "A technology-neutral approach is progress, but accountability still matters. Prepared households and shared community action are vital, but resilient physical infrastructure matters most," STRIM said.