An Australian navy vessel has inadvertently caused widespread disruption to internet and radio services across parts of New Zealand’s North and South Islands this week.
The incident happened early Wednesday morning as HMAS Canberra, one of the Royal Australian Navy’s largest ships, made its way to Wellington. The ship’s navigation radar interfered with wireless signals over a large area from Taranaki to Marlborough, affecting Wi-Fi providers and radio stations operating in shared frequency bands.
New Zealand’s defence force alerted its Australian counterpart after the disruption was detected. The Australian Defence Force confirmed the issue, saying HMAS Canberra switched frequencies as soon as it was made aware, resolving the interference with no ongoing problems.
Local tech providers and broadcasters, including Primo and BrianFM, reported widespread outages and were forced to activate backup systems. Primo’s managing director, Matthew Harrison, described the incident as “full-scale, military-grade radar” interference and joked about sending the navy a bill.
New Zealand authorities have since confirmed the issue is resolved.
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