Don Robertson, immediate past Chief Executive of Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (AREC), gave a presentation to the PRA AGM meeting on 10 June 2025.   AREC is the public service arm of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART).  Following on from 2024’s AGM guest speaker, Whetū Bennett, Wellington Region Emergency Management Office, Don outlined how the New Zealand’s emergency communications work from a national to local level including how Police, SARS, Ambulance, Air ambulance, Defence Force, Civil Defence, Maritime, WREMO and AREC interface.  He went on to explain how this will integrate with the Pāuatahanui Emergency Hub at the school and ways in which the rural community might prepare for an emergency or natural disaster.  He briefly outlined the use of radio communications in the event of an emergency and has offered to run some radio training sessions for our community.  A copy of Don’s presentation is available here