Proactive release of papers relating to Next Generation Critical Communications: Public Safety Network Implementation Business Case

Proactive release of papers relating to Next Generation Critical Communications: Public Safety Network Implementation Business Case

Date Published: 
November 2022

The Next Generation Critical Communications Lead Entity (NGCC), Poutama Whai Tikanga Pāpāho, is the government’s leading advisor on critical communications for public safety in New Zealand.

NGCC is governed by an Independent Board, chaired by Rob Fyfe and comprising Agency Chief Executives and independent stakeholders. NGCC is currently a hosted business unit within New Zealand Police.

The Public Safety Network is the new communications service that will be used by New Zealand's frontline emergency services responders - Fire and Emergency, Police, St John and Wellington Free Ambulance.

The goal in creating a new secure digital communications network is to make New Zealand’s emergency services staff, volunteers, and the public, safer.

The Public Safety Network will:

  • improve emergency communication network resilience
  • provide secure emergency communications
  • simplify sharing of operational information
  • increase emergency communications coverage
  • enable innovation and improved operational responses

Existing analogue radio networks will be replaced with a single nationwide secure digital radio service, and multi-network priority cellular broadband capability - including voice, video, messaging and data - in urban, state highway and rural areas commonly accessed by frontline emergency services. Secure digital radio will provide voice and messaging services in many areas where cellular service is not available.

In April 2020, Cabinet approved a request to go to market to procure the products and services required to deliver a Public Safety Network.

This work has now been completed through a robust, comprehensive RFP (Request for Proposal) process that engaged across the emergency communications industries both within NZ and internationally.

Cabinet has now approved an Implementation Business Case for the Public Safety Network that enables NGCC (Next Generation Critical Communications) to execute contracts with two preferred New Zealand based vendors.

  1. Tait Kordia JV CO Limited (a joint venture between Tait Communications and Kordia) for Digital Land Mobile Radio
  2. Hourua Consortium (a joint venture between Spark New Zealand and Vodafone New Zealand) for Priority Cellular Services

The PSN includes:

Digital Land Mobile Radio (LMR) - a digital radio network built with sufficient resilience to enable emergency services to communicate even in the event of a significant natural disaster. LMR supports push to talk communications which are used extensively by emergency services, provides location services, and is encrypted and secure.

Priority Cellular Services – improves existing cellular network coverage resilience through a multi-network solution that allows emergency services to roam across Spark and Vodafone/two New Zealand mobile networks. Emergency communications will take priority over other mobile users on cellular networks when the networks are congested or degraded.

Personal Alerting – personal alerting service for FENZ, Wellington Free Ambulance and St John provided over a stabilised nationwide paging network which is critical for emergency responses in remote communities supported by volunteers.

The PSN will be the most significant advancement in public safety communications in New Zealand in decades.

The following papers have been produced by Next Generation Critical Communications. Further information can be found on www.ngcc.govt.nz

Key sections of the Official Information Act under which information has been withheld

Certain information in the documents has been withheld under one or more of the following sections of the Official Information Act 1982:

  • Information is withheld under section 9(2)(a) to protect the privacy of natural persons
  • Information is withheld under section 9(2)(b)(ii) to protect information that would be likely to prejudice commercially sensitive information.
  • Information is withheld under section 9(2)(c) to avoid prejudice to measures protecting the health or safety of members of the public.
  • Information is withheld under section 9(2)(f)(iv) in order to maintain the constitutional conventions for the time being which protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers of the Crown and officials.
  • Information is withheld under section 9(2)(g)(i) in order to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions.

 

 

Papers

 

Date

 
 

GOV-22-MIN-0024 (PDF 1MB)

This document outlines the agreed recommendations by the Cabinet Government Expenditure and Administration Committee agreed by Cabinet.
 

  8 August 2022  
 

Cabinet Paper – NGCC Public Safety Network (PDF 7.13MB)

This Cabinet paper provides five options for Cabinet to make a decision on the proposed Public Safety Network solution.
 

 

8 August 2022

 
 

Implementation Business Case - NGCC Public Safety Network ImBC (PDF 20MB)

This document is the full Implementation Business Case for the proposed Public Safety Network Solution.
 

 

8 August 2022

 
 

BR22-37CH Next Generation Critical Communications Cabinet Paper briefing (PDF 103KB)

This briefing seeks Minister of Police agreement to lodge the NGCC: Approval of Implementation Business Case Cabinet paper for consideration by the Government Administration and Expenditure Committee on 4 August 2022.
 

 

26 July 2022

 
 

NGCC Briefing to the incoming Minister – Cover Letter (PDF 113KB)

Cover letter from NGCC Board Chair to incoming Minister of Police.
 

 

21 June 2022

 
 

BR22-05CH NGCC PSN Programme Briefing for the incoming Minister (PDF 1.9MB)

This briefing seeks the Minister of Police’s support to urgently progress work to replace emergency communications and provides the Minister with background information on the Public Safety Network (PSN) Programme.
 

 

21 June 2022

 
 

BR22-44 NGCC: Approval of the NGCC Implementation Business Case (PDF 120KB)

This briefing requests Minister of Police approval to proposed dates for submission of the NGCC ImBC to GOV and Cabinet for approval.
 

 

6 May 2022

 
 

BR22-30 Request for approval for NGCC tagged contingency (PDF 765KB)

This paper seeks the NGCC Joint Ministers approval to draw down and rephase the Next Generation Critical Communications (NGCC) tagged contingency.
 

 

5 April 2022

 
 

BR22-27 Cabinet Paper – Approval to delegate draw down and rephase of NGCC tagged contingency (PDF 738KB)

This paper seeks Cabinet approval to delegate the draw down of up to $16 million for design work and completion of site assessment surveys and rephase the NGCC tagged contingency to the NGCC Joint Ministers.
 

 

4 April 2022

 
 

BR22-21 – Cabinet approval to delegate draw down of tagged contingency (PDF 1.4MB)

This briefing seeks Minister of Police agreement to raise an oral item at Cabinet on 28 March 2022 to seek authorisation to delegate to Joint Ministers, approval to release and rephase NGCC tagged contingency.
 

 

24 March 2022

 
 

BR21-121 NGCC Oversight Ministers Update (PDF 186KB)

This briefing provides an update on the NGCC programme to support the NGCC Oversight Ministers meeting on 15 December 2021.
 

 

10 December 2021

 
 

BR21-95 – NGCC Update (PDF 321KB)

This briefing provides the Minister with an update on NGCC’s progress, prior to a meeting with the NGCC Board Chair and Lead Entity Director.
 

 

8 October 2021