Shane Ormsby takes some of the SBCL team through steps of using the DR First Pictures Kit.
By Michelle Curran
Executive Communications Manager, Pasifika TV/PCBL
More and more, the Pacific is feeling the toll of being one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world.
In efforts to bolster regional media resilience, Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL), funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), is working with its Pacific partners to ensure broadcast continuity when disaster strikes.
Following the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcanic eruption in 2022 and the 2024 earthquake in Vanuatu, PCBL saw an opportunity to support its Pacific partners with disaster preparedness, says PCBL’s Chief Technical Officer Shane Ormsby.
Both broadcasters in Vanuatu and Tonga struggled to convey critical messages to their own communities immediately following the natural disasters, due to the damage sustained to gear and buildings, he adds.
The Emergency Response Mobile Broadcasting Transmission Unit – FM Radio and the DR First Pictures Kit have been developed to mitigate the risk of misinformation or disinformation filling the void when a national broadcaster is unable to perform their obligations as a trusted information source.
While the Emergency Response Mobile Broadcasting Transmission Unit – FM Radio will remain in Aotearoa New Zealand for regular testing and maintenance ahead of being deployed via the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) in a disaster, the DR First Pictures Kits will be kept in the region, Shane says.
“We’ve put together a DR Kit designed to help disaster-impacted broadcasters to access a resilient camera kit with backup power, connectivity and support equipment to assist in the news capture of images and activities in the immediate aftermath,” he says.
“The Kits will be housed securely at the High Commission Offices to provide locational resilience in case the broadcaster’s facility is inaccessible.”
Shane and Karl Schodt, PCBL Broadcast Operations Manager, were recently in Samoa to deliver the first kit and training to Samoa Broadcasting Corporation Limited (SBCL) representatives.
Chief Executive Officer of SBCL Faiesea Lei Sam Matafeo says given the vulnerability of the region’s small islands to natural disasters, the assistance and support provided by the New Zealand Government through PCBL will help save lives.
“The deployable DR First Picture Kits kindly provided will enable broadcasters to continue the vital service of communicating with the public and to keep them informed during disasters,” Faiesea says.
“It would also enable us to connect the public and the service providers in the event telephone lines are disconnected.”
More kits are scheduled to be delivered to Tonga and Vanuatu at the end of June, Shane adds.
In talking to broadcasters ahead of time, he says they have been very receptive to the new equipment.
“They have an understanding in a disaster situation they may lose access to their facility, power, connectivity, everything….the simple kit in a wheelie bin where it can be stored securely and remotely for quick access in an emergency is appreciated.”
This disaster resilience support for broadcasters in the Pacific designed with NZDF, Kordia, MFAT, Broadtech and PCBL aligns with the overarching goal of PCBL, which is to leave not only Pacific media but the entire region, in a better place.