Latest news with #CookStrait
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
HMAS Canberra accidentally blocks wireless internet and radio services in New Zealand
By Andrew Thorpe , ABC At 230 metres long, HMAS Canberra is the Royal Australian Navy's largest vessel. Photo: AFP The Department of Defence has acknowledged that HMAS Canberra , the Royal Australian Navy's largest warship, accidentally took out a number of wireless internet and radio services across New Zealand earlier this week during a visit intended to celebrate the sister city relationship between Canberra and Wellington. The incident occurred early on Wednesday morning, as the 230-metre navy flagship made its way through the Cook Strait en route to New Zealand's capital, where the ship's crew is set to be welcomed with a parade and concert on Saturday. According to local internet service providers (ISPs), HMAS Canberra' s navigation radar began interfering with 5GHz wireless access points - devices that bridge wired and wireless networks - in regions on both New Zealand's North and South Islands at around 2am. Wireless internet and radio outages caused by HMAS Canberra. Photo: ABC News The radar interference triggered in-built switches in the devices that caused them to go offline, a safety precaution intended to prevent wireless signals from interfering with radar systems in New Zealand's airspace. Stuff reported that the outages were first raised with Radio Spectrum Management, an agency within the government's business ministry. The agency notified the New Zealand Defence Force, which notified the Australian Defence Force. "On becoming aware, HMAS Canberra changed frequencies rectifying the interference," a spokesperson for Australia's Department of Defence said. "There are no ongoing disruptions." The outages affected wireless internet and radio services in Taranaki and Marlborough regions, the spokesperson added. Matthew Harrison, managing director of New Zealand-based ISP Primo, said he had never seen anything like the incident before. "This wasn't just a blip. It was full-scale, military-grade radar triggering built-in safety protocols … and it rolled across our network in sync with the ship's movement," he wrote on LinkedIn. "It's not every day a warship takes your gear offline!" Harrison said the incident underlined the fragility of New Zealand's radio spectrum environment, with rural fixed wireless services having to share a frequency band with radar systems. -ABC
ABC News
19 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
HMAS Canberra accidentally blocks wireless internet and radio services in New Zealand
The Department of Defence has acknowledged that HMAS Canberra, the Royal Australian Navy's largest warship, accidentally took out a number of wireless internet and radio services across New Zealand earlier this week during a visit intended to celebrate the sister city relationship between Canberra and Wellington. The incident occurred early on Wednesday morning, as the 230-metre navy flagship made its way through the Cook Strait en route to New Zealand's capital, where the ship's crew is set to be welcomed with a parade and concert on Saturday. According to local internet service providers (ISPs), HMAS Canberra's navigation radar began interfering with 5GHz wireless access points — devices that bridge wired and wireless networks — in regions on both New Zealand's North and South islands at around 2am. The radar interference triggered in-built switches in the devices that caused them to go offline, a safety precaution intended to prevent wireless signals from interfering with radar systems in New Zealand's airspace. Stuff, an online news outlet in New Zealand, reported that the outages were first raised with Radio Spectrum Management, an agency within the government's business ministry. The agency notified the New Zealand Defence Force, which notified the Australian Defence Force. "On becoming aware, HMAS Canberra changed frequencies rectifying the interference," a spokesperson for Australia's Department of Defence said. "There are no ongoing disruptions." The outages affected wireless internet and radio services in New Zealand's Taranaki and Marlborough regions, the spokesperson added. Matthew Harrison, managing director of New Zealand-based ISP Primo, said he had never seen anything like the incident before. "This wasn't just a blip. It was full-scale, military-grade radar triggering built-in safety protocols … and it rolled across our network in sync with the ship's movement," he wrote on LinkedIn. "It's not every day a warship takes your gear offline!" Mr Harrison said the incident underlined the fragility of New Zealand's radio spectrum environment, with rural fixed wireless services having to share a frequency band with radar systems.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Cook Strait ferries cancelled as six-metre swells forecast
Cook Strait ferries are being cancelled this weekend due to forecast swells. Photo: Supplied Cook Strait ferries are being cancelled this weekend due to forecast six-metre swells. Interislander has canned all passenger sailings for Saturday due to the conditions. "All passengers are being moved to alternative sailings," it said on its website. Bluebridge has also cancelled all Saturday sailings, and one in the early hours of Sunday morning. "We are monitoring the situation closely, and if further sailings are impacted, we will notify you via text and email at the earliest opportunity," the operator told customers. The MetService says waves could reach swells of six metres on Saturday, with a warning lasting to Sunday morning. A fresh surge of winter weather was expected to descend on the South Island on Friday , bringing snow, sub-zero temperatures and the risk of travel disruption. More to come. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
20-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Transporting NZ on retirement of Aratere ferry
business transport 13 minutes ago Reduced sailings may mean Interislander passengers have to pay more to cross Cook Strait when the ferry Aratere is pulled from service in August. Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih spoke to Charlotte Cook.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Aratere to be retired by end of August
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone KiwiRail has announced its Aratere Interislander ferry will retire by the end of August and is warning of job cuts and that passenger and freight capacity will take a hit. The ship is the only vessel in the Interislander's fleet where rail freight can roll on and off it. That means it can't use another wharf in Picton while port upgrades there and in Wellington are underway for two new ferries, set to arrive in 2029. Kaiārahi would go to dry dock in Singapore in late June and when it arrived back in mid to late August, Aratere would retire from service. Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said it will come out of service no later than 30 August. Roy said that the Cook Strait service's change from a three to two-ship fleet had a number of implications for the company and its customers. "The first impact is on our dedicated team, and a formal consultation will begin with them." He said in the last few weeks the company had talked to its customers and others to confirm its new ship timetable and co-ordinating rail timetable. That included a plan for road bridging rail freight while it had no rail enabled ships, which included new equipment and additional staffing. Roy said that more than 2200 passenger bookings have now been transferred from Aratere to Kaitaki and Kaiārahi. "If the replacement bookings do not suit customers, they can change the sailing without incurring any change fee or receive a full refund. "Holders of more than 2500 passenger bookings affected by a change in departure time with the move to the new two-ship timetable have also been notified of their new departure time." From August to when the new ferries arrive in 2029 passengers may have to sail at less popular times or be more flexible about the dates they travel, he said. "We recommend booking early for travel during the summer peak season. The Aratere can hold 650 passengers, 230 cars and 28 rail wagons. It made headlines last year when it ran aground near Picton which began with an autopilot mistake. Rail Minister Winston Peters said it would have cost $120 million to keep the Aratere in service.
