RFUANZ report: from one Comms Connect to the next

The New Zealand Comms Connect conference was held in Christchurch back in June and was well attended by industry participants, as well as Australian and New Zealand manufacturers and suppliers. It was great to see an increase in the number of vendors showcasing new products. This annual conference continues to be a great opportunity to take learnings from others through the presentations, as well as connecting with others. I always leave very impressed with the innovative approaches (from simple to complex) taken to solve issues and create value for end customers.

An annual event on the RFUANZ calendar is the gala dinner, held as part of Comms Connect. This year saw nearly 240 people attending, enjoying a great show from Jackie Clarke, rounded out with our RFUANZ awards. Congratulations to our winners; recognising those in our industry is a real highlight of the dinner. In particular, I would like to congratulate Gamini (Sirilal) Mallawa-Arachchi, who received our Lifetime Service Award. Sirilal retired earlier this year from New Zealand Police after 27 years of service. In his career with Police, he was heavily involved with communication projects, both in New Zealand and internationally, and leaves a considerable legacy. Well done Sirilal — and a reminder to anyone who is doing great things to consider nominating in 2025.

A standout from the Comms Connect presentations was ‘Combining systems for shared radio sites — a book review’, presented by Richard Moot and author Ian Graham (both from Tait Communications). For those who haven’t seen the book, it is an excellent read and packed with essential technical information in a digestible format. Ian has generously agreed to give a talk at our next round of RFUANZ Roadshows which are currently being planned; more to follow on this.

Several of the RFUANZ committee members will be attending Comms Connect Melbourne. They are eager to learn more about what’s happening ‘over the ditch’ and even though there is a full program planned we will always look forward to a chat with our Australian members and ARCIA colleagues.

Looking locally, we have been advised by Radio Spectrum Management that they are reviewing radio licence fees. This will be of specific interest to all members, and we have reiterated the need to have cost-effective access to spectrum for land mobile radio; we will continue to advocate on behalf of all users. This is in the early stages but is something we will be taking an active interest in as the process moves forward.

Finally, we have recently bid farewell to Debby Morgan, who has been our RFUANZ Administrator for 10 years. In this role, she has continually challenged us as well as helped steer the direction of our organisation. One of her passions was always being on the lookout for new talent to bring diversity of thinking and skills to the committee. Thank you, Debby, for the massive contribution you have made and all the best for your well-earned retirement.

Trinity Matika takes over from Debby and can be contacted at admin@rfuanz.org.nz.

Soren Low, Chairman, Radio Frequency Users Association of New Zealand.