An Australian Defence Force (ADF) warship has inadvertently caused internet and radio outages across parts of New Zealand.

Australia’s largest naval ship, the HMAS Canberra, disrupted wireless networks along the Taranaki and Marlborough coasts on its journey to Wellington on Wednesday.

Telecommunications companies recorded interruptions as early as 2am local time. 

The New Zealand Defence Force contacted ADF after the issue was reported to them.

An ADF representative noted, “The HMAS Canberra realized their navigation radar was causing interference with Wi-Fi in the Taranaki and Marlborough areas as it neared Wellington.”

“On becoming aware, HMAS Canberra changed frequencies rectifying the interference. There are no ongoing disruptions.”

Services then returned to normal ahead of HMAS Canberra’s arrival on Thursday.

The founder of local telecommunications NZ company Primo, Matthew Harrison, said “it’s not every day a warship takes your gear offline”.

“The interference wasn’t minor; it was significant military-grade radar interference that activated safety protocols intended to safeguard airspace, aligning with the ship’s movements,” he explained.

“We’ve never seen anything like it here before.

“Hey, Royal Australian Navy. Where can we send the bill?”

Fellow telcos Inspire Net Limited, TPNET NZ and Accelerate Wireless were also reportedly affected.