Week Three reflection from core team collaborator Julian Oliver #
It was a busy week for the data and digital infrastructure track of Critical Signals. Offline Aotearoa!, a half-day workshop on digital infrastructure sovereignty, led by me, Julian Oliver. Participants command line learn tools to dig behind the surface of Aotearoa New Zealand’s digital infrastructure to find where the services of our government and public sector are geographically and jurisdictionally located. It is clear that many of the server we consider ‘our own’ are in fact on privately owned datacenters far away, and often on US-owned and controlled property. While we Aotearoa New Zealanders might think of ourselves as politically, culturally and economically sovereign, we are very much not so when it comes to the digital infrastructure we use everyday. Week Three reflection from core team collaborator Julian Oliver
Whena Owen, from TVNZ’s Q&A spent time at Critical Signals (115 Taranaki St) to chat about these themes, resulting in a story airing on Sunday morning.
On Thursday a talk was held in the space introducing the post-Internet offline communications platform Meshtastic, for which an already thriving community-owned-and-operated network in the Lower North Island already exists. Meshtastic is a resilient ‘mesh-networking’ technology allowing users to stay in touch with text messages from their smartphones even in a total power and Internet blackout. Rather than pushed as a complete ‘techno-fix’ for disaster-tolerant communications, Meshtastic was discussed as meeting needs not covered by traditional AM radio emergency broadcasts from authorities, rather empowering communities to organise and meet their own needs in a crisis.
On Saturday, participants of this talk met to identify ‘blind spots’ in the CBD, with a view to placing new mesh ‘nodes’ in the city to increase coverage. From this session, several new locations for nodes were identified, with one large blind spot found through live testing at the wharf. For this the team proved a node at the top of Taranaki street would open up connectivity for not just all of Taranaki street, but much of the harbour itself.
– Julian Oliver
Location Identification #
Our new low tech highly responsive location identification system created by Ollie Hutton - a signal that Critical Signals is in through the glass doors rather than the grey 115 door [that’s home to our beautiful friends Supergood]
Apologies to Ed Strafford who we erroneously referred to as Ed Burn in last weeks signal!
Support #
To support the project, we are seeking $9,000 to be able to steward the physical space, but any further Pledges will greatly help us to get Critical Signals up and running. Your Pledges will cover the lease of the building, and enable the team to deliver a series of seminars and workshops.
The success of Critical Signals depends on community support. The space will be a hub for learning, kōrero, and creative experimentation—offering opportunities to simply connect or dive into hands-on activities.
Please give generously here to support the collaborators of the project to look after the space, provide sessions and help to facilitate the project!
Open Call For Recipes #
Recipes for Disaster is an open exhibition and publication in progress as part of the Critical Signals programme.
Collaboratively cooking up ceremonies of creativity in times of collapse and repair - Open Call for recipes!
We are calling for recipes of any nature; whether they are card games to play when the power is out, a bread recipe for an open fire, or leaving the tap on and heading to Dannevirke for a viking conference. Use of imagination is strongly encouraged. All recipes considered.
Some may be read out by the ‘Disaster Chef’ (a fictional reality tv show host). Recipes for [use within] disaster (a bestiary of things to call upon in emergencies) AND Recipes for disaster (things that will most certainly not end well).
Deadline for entries is August 18th
Email recipes to recipes@criticalsignals.nz
OR drop into 115 Taranaki Street and write one out on paper
OR mail physical entries to 115 Taranaki Street
Exhibition runs Aug 19th - Sep 5th 2025. Publication printed thereafter.
Critical Signals is a hub for Coshop! #
A local food cooperative with pickup locations throughout the Wellington Region - click here to get your orders in by 5pm Monday to collect from 115 Taranaki Street on Thursday!
The food coop is managed by two nonprofits, Wesley Community Action and Te Toi Mahana and run by volunteers. The produce comes directly from a producers cooperative the same morning so is very fresh 🥬
COMING UP… #
See Programme
Thank you to our sponsors and collaborating organisations #
Open 12pm - 7pm,
Tuesday - Saturday
