Tait Communications Hosts International Antarctic Delegation in Christchurch

Visit during Antarctic season opening highlights decades of Tait radio communications supporting operations at Scott Base and across the ice

Tait Communications has welcomed representatives of national Antarctic programmes and stakeholders from around the world to its Christchurch facilities as part of the city's Antarctic season opening. The visit showcased the innovation and partnerships that contribute to Christchurch's standing as a leading Antarctic Gateway city.

Christchurch is one of five Antarctic Gateway cities globally and plays a significant role in supporting Antarctic research and logistics operations. The season opening brings together programme representatives, operators and partner organisations involved in sustaining activity on the continent.

Tait has a long-standing history of supporting communications in Antarctica, with its technology having kept teams connected at Scott Base and in the field for several decades. Tait portable radios and mobile radio networks support day-to-day operations on the ice, linking Scott Base with the United States' McMurdo Station, as well as with ships and visiting aircraft.

The company stated that it is proud to contribute to the Antarctic community and to support those conducting critically important research in one of the most extreme environments on the planet, where reliable communications are essential to both operational effectiveness and personnel safety.

Attendees responded positively to the visit.

David Tayler, Innovation and Business Growth at the Christchurch Antarctic Office, said:

"Loved hearing the Tait story and seeing the manufacturing lines firsthand. An impressive operation, made even more compelling by the calibre of first responder organisations relying on their technology."

Coordination of Antarctic operations at an international level is facilitated by the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), an international association formed in 1988 to support operations among the governmental National Antarctic Programs. COMNAP's membership comprises 34 national programmes, representing almost all of the science and science support activity conducted in Antarctica.

These programmes are responsible for delivering and supporting scientific research in the Antarctic Treaty Area on behalf of their respective governments and in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty, working both collaboratively and individually to ensure that data from Antarctica is available to the world.