New Zealand: industry on the ground
The Marsden Point refinery operated from 1964 to 2022 and the site now imports refined fuel, about half from South Korea and about a third from Singapore as of 2025, so tank and terminal work continues there.
New Zealand · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Smartphone in New Zealand
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe handset for people who cross into classified areas in New Zealand every shift: Taranaki gas-field operators, methanol and fertiliser plant crews, dairy-processing engineers managing milk-powder dust risk, and the HSE and telecoms teams who equip them. This page explains what to look for in an intrinsically safe smartphone for New Zealand, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicintrinsically safe
DeviceSmartphone
RouteSpecification
WhereNew Zealand
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for New Zealand: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · intrinsically safe
Checklist: intrinsically safe smartphone for New Zealand
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Level of protection | ia, ib or ic matched to the zone | ib, for Zone 1 |
| Entity parameters | Uo, Io and Po within the device limits | Published with the certificate |
| Accessories | Chargers and cases certified with the device | Defined at certification |
| Where it applies | New Zealand: Marsden Point, Dairy processing sites nationwide, Taranaki | Classified by the site operator |
Product · New Zealand
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in New Zealand. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The market · New Zealand
Where an Ex phone is used in New Zealand
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS New Zealand market guide.
Operators, EPCs and contractors
- Methanex
- Methanol production at Motunui, Taranaki; the Waitara Valley plant has been idle since 2021
- Todd Energy
- Upstream gas and condensate production in the Taranaki basin
- OMV New Zealand
- Operator of Maui, Pohokura and other Taranaki offshore and onshore fields
- Ballance Agri-Nutrients
- Urea and ammonia production at Kapuni, Taranaki
- Fonterra
- The world’s largest dairy exporter — milk-powder drying and processing nationwide
- Channel Infrastructure
- Operator of the former Marsden Point refinery, now a fuel import terminal
Industrial areas and sites
- Taranaki
- New Zealand’s principal oil, gas and petrochemical region
- Motunui / Waitara Valley
- Methanex methanol production complexes
- Kapuni
- Gas field and Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser plant
- Marsden Point
- Former refinery, now Channel Infrastructure’s import terminal, Northland
- Dairy processing sites nationwide
- Fonterra and other processors’ milk-powder drying towers and storage
Field notes · New Zealand
More about New Zealand that matters for portable equipment
New Zealand: industry on the ground
Gas-based plants developed from the 1970s included an ammonia-urea plant at Kapuni, methanol at Waitara, synthetic petrol at Motunui and gas-fired power stations at New Plymouth and Huntly; confirm each site's current status.
New Zealand: rules and approvals
AS/NZS 60079 is the Australia and New Zealand adoption of the IEC 60079 series, covering classification, selection, installation, inspection and repair of electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres.
New Zealand: background
The Alpha well drilled at New Plymouth in 1865 was the first oil well in the Commonwealth; later gas from Kapuni (1970) and Maui (1978) supported large gas-based industrial plants.
The term · intrinsically safe
What “intrinsically safe” means for a smartphone
Intrinsic safety limits the electrical and thermal energy in a circuit so that neither a spark nor a hot surface can ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even when a fault occurs. The ib level, used for Zone 1, tolerates one fault. It is the usual way to make a handheld device that a worker carries continuously through a hazardous area.
The IS-04Z1 is designed on this principle for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4). Intrinsic safety is a design basis, not a certificate: certification is in progress and none has been issued yet.
In New Zealand. A plant round at Kapuni or Motunui, or a shift through a milk-powder drying and storage area, is a full working day with no recharge point inside the hazard zone. An intrinsically safe handheld lets the same device record readings, take photographs and run a work-order app, from the control room to the tower.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for New Zealand
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · New Zealand
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy an intrinsically safe smartphone in New Zealand today?
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
What does an intrinsically safe smartphone in New Zealand cost?
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
What does ‘intrinsically safe’ mean for the IS-04Z1?
The circuits are designed to limit energy so a spark or hot surface cannot ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even with one fault (level ib, Zone 1). Certification of that design is in progress.
Which sites in New Zealand does this cover?
The market guide for New Zealand covers Taranaki, Motunui / Waitara Valley, Kapuni, Marsden Point, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Is New Zealand's remote geography a supply issue for Ex devices?
Most Ex devices arrive by sea or air freight, and the North Island holds nearly all the gas network, so lead times to Taranaki or Auckland differ from the South Island. Plan spare batteries and accessories in country, and confirm local after-sales support before ordering.
Where do intrinsically safe phones get used in New Zealand's oil and gas sector?
Mainly in Taranaki, where all domestic oil and gas is produced, along the North Island gas pipeline network, at Ahuroa gas storage, and at fuel import terminals such as Marsden Point. Site permits and induction rules differ by operator, so check before arrival.
Is milk powder really a hazardous area issue?
Dried milk powder is a well-documented combustible dust, and drying towers and storage silos are classified accordingly. The IS-04Z1 is designed for Zone 21 as well as Zone 1, but certification is in progress. Confirm the zone and dust group with the site operator before use.
Related guides
Keep exploring
More on New Zealand, and on other places in New Zealand.
Industrial Mobile Phone in New ZealandSame place, different guide
Hazardous Area Mobile Phone Distributor in New ZealandSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone Supplier in New ZealandSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone in New ZealandSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier in New ZealandSame place, different guide
Rugged Mobile Phone in New ZealandSame place, different guide
New Zealand market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for New ZealandEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · New Zealand
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for New Zealand
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Enquiry · New Zealand
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for New Zealand?
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.