Authored by Dr. Yoram Benit, Ph. D. | CEO and Managing Director of Tait Communications
While radio communications are the reliable backbone of New Zealand’s emergency response, the topic often flies under the radar.
The Tom Phillips case has propelled police communications into the spotlight recently after audio from September’s police operation was published in the media.
This case has highlighted the importance of radio communication when it comes to the safety of first responders and the public.
It also shines a light on the progress the Government is making, relying on Tait Communications’ expertise, to build a new highly secure, end-to-end encrypted and reliable radio network for New Zealand’s emergency services.
As a global leader in mission critical communications, Tait knows the importance of emergency services personnel being able to speak freely on their radios during a crisis or evolving situation.
It gives police, firefighters and paramedics the ability to plan and operate unimpeded and to share what is often private and sensitive information.
For over 50 years, we have been designing and delivering solutions for first responders around the world to keep them and their communities safe. That continues with our involvement in the roll out of a new Land Mobile Radio (LMR) network as part of New Zealand’s Public Safety Network (PSN), which is delivering frontline responders with a new digital, secure critical communications cellular and radio ecosystem.
Tait and its subsidiary Tait Systems NZ are building the digital LMR network on behalf of Next Generation Critical Communications (NGCC) and New Zealand’s emergency services.
The 500-site LMR network is being built across rugged geography to ensure reliable coverage. Thousands of our Christchurch-manufactured radios are currently being deployed across vehicles, buildings and into the hands of first responders. This network will support around 30,000 emergency services personnel and the communities they serve.
Based on highly secure and standardised Project 25 (P25) technology, the network will be used by Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance.
The nationwide LMR network will bring all the agencies onto a single system for the first time so they can speak with each other when required. It will be reliable, secure and in line with internationally recognised standards.
The LMR network has been designed to provide our emergency services with robust end-to-end protections and secure voice and data to ensure only authorised listeners can access sensitive traffic.
Other measures include encryption keys that can be updated remotely and trunking technology to maximise spectrum efficiency.
There’s a reason P25 systems are being used for public safety communications around the world – particularly in North America. P25 is specifically designed for mission critical communications, offers enhanced security, quality audio and is open standards, which means it works seamlessly with other equipment. This is particularly important for large-scale emergencies or natural disasters.
Tait’s P25 radio equipment is also being used in the United States for critical research on public safety open standards communication. The equipment has been loaned to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology Public Safety Communications Research Division in Colorado to assist with their interoperability work.
While Tait has implemented similar emergency services communications networks in the United States, South America, India and Australia, it is exceptional to deploy one of the world’s largest P25 networks in New Zealand where the technology is manufactured.
To lock down the New Zealand network, an award-winning security team has worked on the LMR project to guarantee confidentiality, integrity and availability.
Members of the Tait team won two national cybersecurity awards for their work ensuring the end-to-end security of this new P25 network. Our team won CyberSec Project of the Year at the 2025 Cyber Excellence Awards ceremony in Auckland, New Zealand, on 30 October. Tait’s Senior Information Security Analyst Renu Sharma was also named CyberSec Woman of the Year for her role on the project.
The security team is supported by specialists across Information and Communication Technology (ICT), build teams and external partners. Security automation, compliance tooling, and advanced monitoring technologies have been deployed nationwide, with frameworks adapted for more than 500 sites across the country.
These awards are a testament to Tait’s commitment to innovation and the focus we place on security for our customers.
I am confident the new LMR network will provide the security our police officers, firefighters, ambulances and other first responders need to do their jobs and communicate freely.
Whether on a dark Waikato road surrounded by bush or a busy street in central Christchurch, they will have access to a modern, secure LMR network they can trust.
That benefits all New Zealanders.