Critical communications to continue with Trust Horizon support

Thanks to a $130,000 grant from Trust Horizon, the Whakatāne Radio Telephone Users Association (WRTUA) will soon be able to relocate its essential radio services with minimal disruption to critical communications — reducing the impact from weeks down to just days.

The WRTUA is responsible for the effective operation of radio telephone systems across the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Since 1969, the organisation has occupied a site on the Pūtauaki summit. However, with the Maunga set to be returned to its spiritual owners, all WRTUA facilities were agreed to be relocated to Manawhe by 26 March 2026. 

In preparation for the move, the WRTUA has spent two years planning for the installation of essential masts and infrastructure at Manawahe. However, completely dismantling the existing radio setup at Pūtauaki and rebuilding it at Manawhe in its entirety would cause major disruption to essential services. 

“Access to the Pūtauaki site is via 4 kilometres of mountain road, 350 metres through bush and up 200 steps,” explains WRTUA Operations Manager and Board Member, Chris Prouse. “To take equipment off Pūtauaki, carry it across to Manawhe, reinstall and interface it would take weeks.”

Civil defence relies on the service to maintain communication in emergency situations. “During the Edgecumbe flooding and the 1987 earthquake, WRTUA kept working as a reliable form of critical communication for everyone in the region at that time,” says Prouse.

With users including the Whakatāne District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council, sewage pumping and water reticulation are also managed via the Pūtauaki site. For essential services like these, weeks-long disruption would be untenable. 

Having already invested considerably in the project, WRTUA sought support from Trust Horizon to complete it. A $130,000 grant was approved to help purchase antennas, cables, and repeaters at the new site. This has meant that significant installation, alignment and testing work has been able to be completed ahead of the relocation.

“The ability to replace some equipment instead of dismantling and moving everything will help us reduce the outage from weeks to just days, and less than 24 hours for business-critical services,” says Prouse. 

Trust Horizon was pleased to support the efficient relocation of such critical infrastructure. “The radio repeater services provided by the WRTUA directly impact not only essential services, but also businesses, homeowners and communities,” says Trust Horizon trustee, Edwina O’Brien. “The continuation of these services with minimal disruption is key to maintaining our strong and resilient rohe.”

With testing underway and the relocation planned for the coming weeks, 2026 will mark the start of a new chapter for WRTUA. “When you have an earthquake or flood, the only communication left is radio, so emergency response people are heavily reliant on these services,” says WRTUA Chairman, John Dillon. “We’ve invested about $260,000 into the project so far and this grant will allow us to finish the work, so we’d like to say a huge thank you to Trust Horizon.”

If you want to apply for funding from Trust Horizon, look at our funding page here for more information.