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. Ahuroa Gas Storage Facility is the country's only underground gas storage site, so compressor, wellhead and storage-related classified areas are concentrated in a small number of places. A rugged mobile phone distributor in New Zealand would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. New Zealand has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Ingress protection | IP65 to IP68 sealing | IP68 design |
| Drop and shock | A stated drop height onto concrete | Specification on request |
| Explosion protection | A separate certificate and marking | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | New Zealand: Dairy processing sites nationwide, Taranaki, Motunui / Waitara Valley | Classified by the site operator |
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.
The classified areas, operators and sites below are the ones covered in the SAMS New Zealand market guide.
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.
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.
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.
About 2,600 km of high-pressure gas transmission pipeline runs in the North Island, led by the 307 km Maui pipeline carrying 78% of production; there is no gas transmission in the South Island.
A rugged phone is built to survive water, dust, drops and rough handling, usually rated by an IP code and a drop specification. Ruggedness is an environmental property: it says nothing about whether a phone may be used where flammable gas or dust is present. That is decided by explosion-protection certification and marking.
The IS-04Z1 combines both: an IP68 sealed rugged build and a design for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4). The explosion-protection certificates are in progress and none has been issued.
In New Zealand. New Zealand is temperate and humid rather than desert-hot, which is easier on electronics but still produces condensation and coastal salt air. IP68 sealing and a rugged build address moisture and knocks on both gas sites and wet-clean dairy plants. Neither is an explosion protection concept, and the certificate decides where the device can go.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for New Zealand. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
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.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
It is designed to IP68 sealing, with glove-friendly controls. Ruggedness is not explosion protection: that depends on the certificates, which are in progress.
The market guide for New Zealand covers Taranaki, Motunui / Waitara Valley, Kapuni, Marsden Point, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for New Zealand.
Electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres is generally selected and inspected to AS/NZS 60079, the local adoption of the IEC 60079 series, alongside AS/NZS 3000 for installations. IECEx certificates are widely accepted as evidence, but confirm the exact requirement with the site operator or your inspector.
Inspectors typically look for equipment marking suited to the zone, the certificate or verification dossier, and a record of inspection under AS/NZS 60079.17. Keep the certificate number, marking photo and any manufacturer instructions with the asset register entry.
The battery is sized for a working day of plant rounds, but real life depends on use of camera, GNSS and radio. There is no recharge point inside a classified area, so plan to charge in a safe area. Test the device on your own round before relying on it.
More on New Zealand, and on other places in 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.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.
