Who are We?

Amateur Radio Emergency Communication “AREC” is the public service arm of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) formed by members who are individually licensed amateur radio operators required to meet standards set by Radio Spectrum Management, part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

We are a national volunteer not-for-profit registered charitable organisation providing radio and technology communications services all over New Zealand. Our highly competent, experienced volunteers establish and deliver communications wherever and whenever a search or emergency event may be.

AREC is an associate member of LandSAR New Zealand and a member of the New Zealand Search and Rescue (NZSAR) Consultative Committee. AREC receives funding and provides Search and Rescue services under a service level agreement with NZSAR, New Zealand Police and Maritime New Zealand.

AREC has its own external web site at: https://arec.nz

Our Volunteers

The word amateur in AREC recognises that nearly all operational members of the organization are unpaid volunteers.

Our professional volunteers offer their specialist communications and technical skills free to the public in support of the search and rescue sector, civil defence, and other emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the New Zealand Police, the Rescue Coordination Centre and other lead agencies such as NEMA/CD and FENZ.

Areas of communication

Our volunteers donate thousands of hours of their time every year in providing essential communications services.

We have over 300 trained highly skilled experienced, technically competent communications experts covering the length and breadth of New Zealand.

In most areas AREC provides trained communications operators and often communications equipment at the search or emergency headquarters/base, support for the setting up of equipment, provides emergency radio infrastructure, technical advice and training for the search or emergency teams who communicate back to the headquarters/base.

AREC Rules

The following Rules for AREC were approved by NZART Council on the [7] day of [September] 2021 to take effect as a Rule under [clause 9] of the NZART Constitution. The Council resolution directed that they are to come into force on the [1] day of [October] 2021 in place of the old Rules, on which day the old Rules are revoked. Paragraph numbers included within square brackets indicate the enabling paragraph references in the 2021-06-05 NZART constitution.

The Rules cover the following content and can read in full from this PDF: AREC Rules 2021

Table of Contents 

1. Preamble
2. Name
3. Definitions
4. Statement of purpose
5. Objects 
6. Membership
7. Removal of Membership
8. Groups
9. Group Officers 
10. National Officers, Regional Managers and District Managers
11. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
12. Code of Conduct
13. General Meetings
14. Special Rules
15. Subsidised Equipment
16. General
17. Interpretation 
18. Savings