TrackMe Adventure

The latest updates to TrackMe Pro+ are all about making lone and remote worker safety easier to manage in the real world. From scheduled welfare checks and smarter journey management to Home Safe Zones and improved escalation tools, these new features help reduce unnecessary alerts while making sure genuine safety concerns reach the right people at the right time.

TrackMe Pro+ August Update: Smarter Tools, Fewer False Alerts, Better Oversight For lone and remote worker safety, good technology should do more than respond when something goes wrong. It should make the everyday management of safety simpler, more proactive and less reliant on people remembering every step.

In this article, I talk about one of our partners Focuspoint International.

Going Overseas? Your SOS Button Is Only Part of Your Emergency Plan When we head into the outdoors, we spend a lot of time preparing. We invest in quality equipment, plan our route, check the weather, tell someone where we're going and, increasingly, carry satellite communication devices such as the Garmin inReach.

Is your organisation really prepared for an emergency, or do you just assume it is?

In this article, I share two real-world examples that highlight how small assumptions and simple oversights can have serious consequences. I also include a practical five-minute emergency readiness audit that any organisation can use to identify potential gaps before they're tested in a real emergency.

Are You Ready for Your Next Emergency? Try This Five-Minute Audit Every organisation has an emergency plan. But here's the real question.

My latest article looks beyond technology and explores something every business relies on but can't buy: trust.

Customer service isn't just about solving problems. It's about listening, understanding, building confidence, and being there when it matters most.

I've shared a few real stories from my time in health and safety that reinforced an important lesson. People may forget the technology, but they'll always remember how you made them feel.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Customer Service Isn't a Department. It's a Mindset. In the health and safety industry, we spend a lot of time talking about technology. GPS tracking.

Have you ever considered the hidden risks of buying a second-hand Garmin inReach?

A recent incident involving a stolen device that surfaced for sale online highlighted some of the risks many buyers never think about. In this article, I explore why buying a used satellite communicator isn't always as straightforward as it seems, and how asking a few simple questions before purchasing could save you from an expensive mistake.

The Hidden Risks of Buying a Second-Hand Garmin inReach If you're looking to buy a Garmin inReach, it's easy to be tempted by what appears to be a bargain on Trade Me, Facebook Marketplace, or at a pawn shop. After all, these devices are built to last, so why not save a few hundred dollars? The answer is simple: you may not be buying what you think you'r

What if one of the biggest risks in your workplace isn't a machine or a hazard, but an assumption?

I've just published a new article exploring the psychology behind assumptions, why they contribute to workplace incidents, and how a culture of verification can make organisations safer.

I'd love to hear your thoughts after you've had a read.

The Hidden Risk in Every Workplace: Assumptions Every workplace has hazards. Some are obvious.

TrackMe is once again proud to sponsor the GO-4-12 Youth Adventure Race.

This is a fantastic event that gives young people the opportunity to challenge themselves, work as a team, build confidence and experience adventure racing.

Entries are now open, so head to https://go412.co.nz/ and get your team registered.

Events like this are expensive to organise, particularly when entry fees need to remain affordable for young participants. If your business or organisation is in a position to come on board as a sponsor, the team behind GO-4-12 would greatly appreciate your support.

Whether you enter, sponsor or help spread the word, your support will help make this event possible.

GO 4-12 Adventure Races Epic 3, 6, and 12-hour adventure race events that serve as the 2026 NZ Secondary School Adventure Racing Championships.

Why Rocket Lab Didn't Buy Iridium – They Bought the Future

When the headlines broke that Rocket Lab was acquiring Iridium for around US$8 billion, many people saw it as another large corporate acquisition. I think they're looking at it the wrong way.
Rocket Lab didn't just buy a satellite communications company.
They bought the missing piece of the puzzle.

For years, Rocket Lab has quietly built an impressive space business. They started by launching small satellites, then expanded into spacecraft manufacturing, satellite components, solar panels, reaction wheels, radios, spacecraft software and, more recently, laser communications through strategic acquisitions. Every step has moved them further up the value chain.
But there was one thing they didn't own.
The customer.

Iridium changes that.

From Building Space Hardware to Delivering Space Services
Until now, Rocket Lab has largely been paid to build or launch things for other people.

With Iridium, they suddenly own a global communications network serving more than two million users across aviation, maritime, defence, emergency services, industrial IoT and remote workers. They also gain one of the world's most valuable assets in satellite communications: globally coordinated L-band spectrum and an operational low-Earth orbit constellation.

That changes everything.

Instead of relying only on launch contracts and spacecraft manufacturing, Rocket Lab now has recurring subscription revenue from communications services. That provides a more stable business while creating opportunities that simply weren't available before.

Building a Truly End-to-End Space Company

The phrase "vertical integration" gets used a lot in business, but this acquisition is a textbook example.
Rocket Lab can now:
• Design the satellites.
• Manufacture the satellites.
• Build the major components.
• Launch them using its own rockets.
• Operate the constellation.
• Deliver communications services directly to customers.

Every stage of the process stays within the same company.
As future Iridium satellites need replacing, Rocket Lab no longer has to depend on another launch provider. The company can build, launch and operate the next generation of the constellation itself, reducing costs while controlling schedules and technology. Rocket Lab has highlighted these benefits as one of the strategic reasons for the acquisition.

This Isn't About Competing With Starlink

Many commentators immediately compared the deal with SpaceX.
I don't think that's quite right.

Starlink is primarily designed to provide high-speed broadband internet.

Iridium has always been about something different.
Reliable communications where nothing else works.
The middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The Antarctic.

Remote mine sites.
Mountain expeditions.
Emergency responders.
Aircraft crossing oceans.
Ships thousands of kilometres from land.
The priority isn't streaming movies.
The priority is knowing the message gets through.
Those are very different markets.
Why This Matters for Safety
This is the part that excites me the most.
I've spent years working in remote worker safety and satellite communications.

One lesson stands above everything else:
Communication saves lives long before the SOS button is pressed.
The best emergencies are the ones that never become emergencies.

Imagine a future where every smartphone, wearable device, vehicle or remote sensor can connect seamlessly to satellites when terrestrial networks disappear. A worker could check in from anywhere, send a message before a situation deteriorates, or automatically trigger alerts if something isn't right.

Rocket Lab has already indicated it intends to accelerate Iridium's next-generation Direct-to-Device capabilities.

That could reshape how lone-worker safety, emergency management and remote operations are delivered worldwide.
Peter Beck's Bigger Vision

Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck has often spoken about building an enduring space company.

Looking at the acquisitions made over the past few years, a pattern emerges.

Launch vehicles.
Satellite components.
Spacecraft.
Laser communications.
Now a global communications network.
Each acquisition fills another gap.
Rather than becoming just another rocket company, Rocket Lab is assembling every major building block required to own an entire space ecosystem.
Looking Ahead
The next decade won't simply be about putting more satellites into orbit.

It will be about what those satellites enable.
Persistent global communications.
Connected vehicles.
Industrial IoT.
Autonomous systems.
National security.
Remote healthcare.
Environmental monitoring.
Worker safety.

The acquisition of Iridium positions Rocket Lab at the centre of many of those opportunities.

For me, this isn't the story of an $8 billion purchase.

It's the story of a New Zealand-founded company taking another significant step towards becoming one of the world's most important space infrastructure businesses.

Sometimes the most valuable thing you can build isn't the rocket.
It's the network that connects the world once the rocket has done its job.