Fixing flawed 111 system a ‘major priority’ but no first-term commitment

Police Minister Mark Mitchell says upgrading the 111 system is a major priority. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Fixing New Zealand’s flawed 111 emergency call system is a “major priority” for the coalition Government but Police Minister Mark Mitchell won’t commit to doing it before the next election.

RNZ today reported the previous Government was warned a year ago that the 111 system was so old, slow and fragmented that it was causing deaths and injuries.

Police documents showed Labour had dropped a project in August to replace the system, which was shared between police and Fire and Emergency. Both agencies had indicated an “urgent” and “pressing” need to replace it.

A major flaw in the system was that it could take only phone calls, not text or video. It was also unable to liaise with social media platforms, and had poor integration between apps, RNZ reported.

In one example, a woman was stabbed to death by a partner who overheard her making a 111 call.

“A modern [111] solution could have enabled [the woman] to notify police by a method other than a voice call which [the man] would not have detected.”

Under Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, the decision last year was made to not adopt a project updating the 111 system. Photo / Marty Melville

Speaking to journalists this morning, Mitchell said it was not acceptable that flaws within the system put the public at risk.

“It’s a major priority. Make no mistake, public safety is number one.

“That’s why obviously I was concerned about it when it was raised with me, and I’m working through that now with the executive.”

When asked how the system would be updated, Mitchell said it was a matter for the police. However, he referenced how the inability to text was an issue.

He wouldn’t commit to completing the upgrade within the Government’s first term.

Asked what he thought of Labour not actioning the upgrade, Mitchell said it was clear the previous Government was aware of the issue and chose not to prioritise it.

He then said he didn’t want to talk about the Labour Party, before immediately referencing how Labour had left the Government’s finances in such a bad shape.

Labour leader and former PM Chris Hipkins couldn’t recall the context behind the decision regarding the 111 system, but said he would go back to check.

The Herald was expecting an update from Labour on this today.

Additional reporting: RNZ

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.