New Zealand’s Civil Defence have carried out a full Emergency mobile alart test.
The test took place between 6pm and 7pm on Sunday evening.
More than 5 million mobile phones received an emergency alert.
Civil Defence Emergency Management Director Gary Knowles said the alerts were to warn people of threats to life, health or property.
“The nationwide test is a way to check our systems, the cell towers and your phone’s ability to receive an Emergency Mobile Alert, so we have confidence it will perform as it should in an emergency.”
He said a 2021 disaster preparedness survey suggested 90 percent of people would receive the alert, or be near someone who does.
In a real emergency, information would also go out on radio, television, online and via social media.
Under this system is no need to register or download an app – the alert will be sent to all phones that are turned on and within mobile coverage.
