Key Developments:

1. Banking Sector:

   • Kiwibank and ASB have reported issues with accepting payments and online banking systems.
   • ANZ is experiencing intermittent issues with credit and debit card transactions.
   • BNZ also confirmed they are affected by the outage.
   • These banks have acknowledged the problems and are working to resolve them promptly.
     
     

2. Retail Sector:

   • Woolworths has reported technical issues impacting their website and physical stores, resulting in some store closures and delayed online orders.
   • Mitre 10 and Bunnings have also experienced system outages.
   • Customers at Lynn Mall in Auckland reported that point-of-sale systems were down, affecting transactions.
     
     

3. Public Transport:

   • Auckland Transport’s Hop card systems are down, impacting fare payments. Staff have been instructed to allow travel without fare payments temporarily.
     
     

4. Air Travel:

   • Christchurch Airport has confirmed IT issues that may affect flight arrivals and departures. Travellers are advised to check with airlines before heading to the airport.
     
     

5. Government and Media:

   • The New Zealand Parliament’s systems, including phones, have been affected.
   • Media companies globally, including those in New Zealand and Australia, are experiencing significant disruptions. Journalists are facing issues with computers crashing and rebooting, causing delays and problems in news broadcasting.
     
     

6. Cause of Outage:

   • The issue is linked to a third-party software platform provided by CrowdStrike, an American cyber security firm. This has led to widespread technical difficulties across multiple sectors.
   • Australian authorities have confirmed there is no evidence to suggest that the outage is a result of a hack or cybersecurity incident.
     
     

Global Impact

The widespread IT outages are causing considerable disruption in various services:

• Banks: Customers are unable to process payments or access online banking.
• Retailers: Sales and online orders are affected, with some stores forced to close temporarily.
• Public Transport: Payment systems are down, causing inconvenience to commuters.
• Airports: Potential flight delays and disruptions in accessing flight information.
• Government and Media: Communication and broadcasting issues are affecting operations.
  
  

Current Status

Efforts are underway to address and resolve the technical issues. Companies affected by the outage are working closely with CrowdStrike to identify and fix the problem. Authorities in both New Zealand and Australia are monitoring the situation and coordinating with key stakeholders to minimise the impact.

The ongoing IT outage highlights the vulnerability of essential services to technical issues within third-party software platforms. This incident underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and contingency planning to mitigate the effects of such disruptions on critical infrastructure and services.