The Civil Defence Ministry says it can't force phone companies to prioritise text messages warning of disasters.
Six local authorities offer free text message alerts to residents but the Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council dumped the scheme after emergency alert texts about the Ruapehu lahar and the Samoa tsunami threat in September were delayed by up to 12 hours.
The company that runs the system, OPTN, says Civil Defence needs to force phone companies to prioritise the texts ahead of other traffic. Director Richard Guy says the ministry and phone companies need to co-operate to stagger the messages.
Mr Guy says he is not prepared to maintain the system for much longer, but a Civil Defence spokesperson says the ministry is not empowered to tell companies what to do.
Inquiry into Telecom's 111 fault
On Friday, Telecom said that a review of its 111 emergency line in Auckland would look at whether the company has failed to live up to its contractual obligations.
A problem caused by a software fault began at about 3.30am on Friday and continued intermittently for five hours, preventing 33 111 calls from being connected.
Telecom is paid by the Government for providing the service and the Commerce Commission does an annual review to ensure that the company is complying with quality measures.
One of the requirements is that the phone lines cannot be down for more than two hours a year.
Communications Minister Steven Joyce says Telecom may face a penalty if a failure to perform is proven.
