Mobile phone coverage and reliability is going backwards fast in rural areas - and farming families are paying the price, a Federated Farmers survey shows.
Since the 3G network was switched off in March this year, farmers have been even more frustrated with black spots and poor reception.
"Our Rural Connectivity Survey a year ago found service levels were already hit and miss," Federated Farmers telecommunications spokesperson Mark Hooper says.
"This year's survey of nearly 650 farmers paints an even bleaker picture.
"Half of farms now have mobile coverage on less than half of the property.
"A third of farmers told us they have a place on their farm that previously worked on 3G but no longer does.
"For most, these holes in service aren’t just on one part of the farm."
Patchy or non-existent coverage creates obvious risks when there’s an accident or emergency, especially when people are working alone.
"Nearly two in three farmers told us they can’t rely on reaching 111 from most of their farm, and 8% said connecting to emergency services wasn't possible anywhere on the property," Hooper says.
One survey respondent from Southland said: "Our main yard by the road had perfect coverage, now you need to stand on one leg and hold your tongue a certain way to have any chance of making a call."
There’s a very real financial cost as well, survey responses show.
With 3G coverage gone, one in seven farms had to replace equipment that relied on that network - irrigation and pivot controls, cow collars and other farm systems rather than phones.
Some had to spend many thousands of dollars, and the vast majority were replacing gear that was still working.
Two in three farmers paid for workarounds such as satellite broadband.
Only 15% regard satellite-to-mobile as an adequate substitute for a cell tower.
"Earlier talk from telcos that rural residents don’t have to worry about the shutdown of 3G networks has proved hollow," Hooper says.
"The assurances were that the vast majority of areas previously covered by 3G now have 4G and 5G.
"Our survey shows how different wireless frequencies travel across the landscape, and whatever other factors might be at play, have left too many farming families and businesses with significantly lower standards of service and reliability.
"It’s of considerable concern to hear feedback that reporting problems to providers often doesn’t result in a fix - with some providers pretty much denying there’s an issue."
The survey, carried out in late August/early September, shows of 126 farms that reported coverage and reliability problems, just two had the problem resolved.
"That’s very frustrating and indicates their concerns aren't being taken seriously."
Mr Hooper says Federated Farmers is holding urgent meetings with telcos to get a better understanding of what scope they have within existing infrastructure, or planned investment, to improve the situation.
"We have some sympathy for the argument that further extensive investment in 'old technology', such as new towers, when satellite calling/call support and the like is on the way, may not the best use of resources.
"But we’re also interested in the here and now, and what fine-tuning of existing infrastructure might be possible.
"At the very least, surely we can get more farmers hooked back up to the service standards they had with 3G."
Farmers and other people travelling on rural roads are experiencing call drop-out.
Four in five farmers know a stretch of their regular roads where mobile service fails, and only 4% say they don't experience drop-outs on their journeys.
Eight times as many say highway coverage has worsened over the past year as say it has improved.
While most farmers can reach emergency services from somewhere on the property, for some it’s only if they get to the right spot.
More than 40 farmers said they had nowhere on their property where they can reliably reach 111.
One farmer said they’d failed a WorkSafe audit because patchy coverage on their property meant they couldn't check on their staff every two hours.
"While the telcos have an agreement that if a 111 call fails on one network, the call will be redistributed across whichever networks reach that spot, it cannot create coverage where none reaches."
Hooper says a South Island arable farmer summed it up for many with the comment "It’s not good enough that our service has gone backwards, when businesses rely on it more than ever".
Farming is the engine room of New Zealand’s economy and exports.
"For farmers, sub-par telecommunications is like trying to drive with half the cylinders misfiring."