By Josephine Tarasiewicz

Imagine walking three days into the bush and finally reaching your backcountry hut for the night, relieved to escape the outside world. Upon entering, you are greeted by the dreaded ‘ding’ of a notification and someone sitting on their laptop, checking emails. 

New Zealand is at a pivotal point of connection. SpaceX and One NZ are collaborating to redefine mobile coverage by opening up an additional 40% of land mass not currently covered by mobile networks. Initially the service will only offer the capability to text, with calls and data to follow. 

As an outdoor education student with a deep passion for our nature, I was curious to explore what these new developments could mean for future experiences in the outdoors. Courtney Munster, a fellow outdoor education student, treasures the escape of nature. “The beauty of these places is to get away from social media’s effects,” Munster remarks. 

If the option is available in the future to access your social media, emails and news, are we disciplined enough to ignore them? 

Our nature is one of our greatest taonga, the only place accessible to ignore the realities of our regular world. For many, this freedom is therapeutic. Dan Heyward, an avid tramper and good friend, considers why he loves the backcountry. “Ultimately I choose to enter the backcountry to disconnect, to explore and to be self-reliant. It is a place where one is forced to be present,” Heyward reflects. 

Personally, separation from our world full of noise is something I have always craved. My favourite moments in life are composed of simplicity in nature – genuine, unaffected time with my mates, the silence of my own brain, and uninterrupted appreciation for the surroundings, all of which the backcountry allows. Increased communication creates the potential for greater safety within the outdoors, but our culture and love for remoteness may change as well.

Using SpaceX’s new satellite system Starlink, One NZ promises ‘coverage like never before.’ 

“This brand-new satellite technology will provide coverage to all of New Zealand on eligible 4G VoLTE mobile devices where there is a line of sight to the sky . . . and up to 12 nautical miles out to sea, complementing our award-winning mobile network. [This will] fill in the roughly 40% of the country which currently is outside of mobile coverage, mainly due to challenging and isolated geography and the costs of doing so,” comments One NZ. 

Tony Baird, Chief Technology Officer, adds,“This will be awesome for rural New Zealanders where building new cell services is expensive, difficult or both. Likewise, the coverage benefits for boaties are immense, and people who like to explore the more remote parts of Aotearoa such as our stunning national parks. In a search and rescue situation, this service might be the difference between life and death.” 

This improvement in technology creates a variety of possibilities for communication within the outdoors, producing the ability to affect our safety systems. 

Johnny Franklin, a spokesperson for Land Search and Rescue New Zealand describes the development as a potential step forward. “Anything that gives people who are outdoors the ability to call for help, or improves their ability to call for help, is in everyone’s interests,” Franklin said. 

In past scenarios, people who did not carry distress beacons may have been forced to find their own solutions to their circumstances. However with the changes in technology to come, the ability to call for assistance will increase. This may result in a greater need for Search and Rescue operations. 

However, the capabilities are unknown with such a new system, and it is important to remain wary of our reliance on it. The Search and Rescue Sector offers some words of caution: “Currently we do not believe it is a replacement for a personal locator beacon. Make sure you have a reliable means of communication.” 

Are cell phones a reliable means of communication? Cell phones boast short battery life and touch screens will not work in detrimental weather. Moreover, one drop onto hard ground is an expensive mistake. Emergency services cannot be texted – a third party would need to be asked to call 111 – adding valuable time to Search and Rescue’s response. While it may be tempting to trust your phone, distress beacons are dependable and robust, proving to be a far safer option to take into the great outdoors. Our wilderness commands respect. Whether you spend your time recreating, working or learning, it is vital to make informed decisions when operating outdoors. 

Currently, New Zealand’s outdoors provides a sense of isolation unlike anywhere else in the world – an escape from people, society and technology. I become unreachable, without work emails to haunt me, endless notifications with the dreaded news or phone calls. I fear that with our world so consumed by technology and screens, our one solace, the backcountry, will also become devoured in the exponentially spreading urge for contact.

This new future carries the prospect to change the culture of our community. While we cannot control the future of technology, we do have the power to choose how it affects us. Balancing our priority for safety alongside preserving our outdoor culture is no easy task, but it is a necessary balance to find.

Whether I’m missioning out of service in the Silver Peaks of Dunedin, the Wild West Coast or my current playground, Mt Aspiring National Park, the liberation is the same. Being deep in the backcountry is where I feel most alive, the most raw. Every commitment, worry or chore simply does not matter, as you become entirely present within each moment. My gaze is always up, (unless it’s gnarly terrain!) and my mind is clear. It is a rarity to find pure peace and I believe it needs to be preserved.