Find out about Emergency Mobile Alert. The system is designed to keep people safe and alerts are broadcast to all capable phones from targeted cell towers.
Emergency Mobile Alerts are messages about emergencies sent by authorised emergency agencies to capable mobile phones. The alerts are designed to keep people safe and are broadcast to all capable phones from targeted cell towers.
The alerts are targeted to areas affected by serious hazards and will only be sent when there is a serious threat to life, health or property, and, in some cases, for test purposes.
Give us feedback about Emergency Mobile Alert. Information collected in this survey is used to make ongoing improvements to the alerting platform, which is used to keep people in New Zealand safe.
Give feedbackTo get Emergency Mobile Alerts you need a phone capable of receiving Emergency Mobile Alerts. The phone also needs to have cell reception and up-to-date software. You don’t have to download an app or subscribe to a service.
Please refer to your phone manual or talk to your mobile operator if you need help updating your phone.
We expect half of New Zealand's phones will be able to receive the alerts. We expect this number to rise over time.
As Emergency Mobile Alert is about keeping you safe, you won’t be able to opt out of receiving Emergency Mobile Alerts.
We do not target specific phones, instead we broadcast to a targeted area that is at risk. For this reason, we are unable to exclude your specific phone.
Your phone may show optional settings used in other countries, but in New Zealand we will use a special broadcast channel that is permanently on.
Read the Decision for Emergency Mobile Alert to remain a non-opt-out channel for more information.
ema-decision-statement-en-jul18.pdf | 316 KB |
See when Emergency Mobile Alert has been used in New Zealand since it launched in 2017.
We’ve compiled helpful answers to frequently asked questions about Emergency Mobile Alert.
This NZSL video gives an overview of Emergency Mobile Alert.
The Director's Statement for Emergency Mobile Alert Device Standards defines desired mobile device standards for emergency alerting in New Zealand.
ema-director-statement-en-may18.pdf | 849 KB |
Download this factsheet in English explaining the Emergency Mobile Alert system.
ema-mobile-alert-fact-en-feb20.pdf | 98 KB |
Download this factsheet in Te Reo Māori explaining the Emergency Mobile Alert system.
ema-mobile-alert-fact-mi-feb20.pdf | 81 KB |
Download our factsheet explaining the Emergency Mobile Alert system, available in 24 languages.