Motorola had its local founding in response to the needs of the "Think Big" petrochemical and energy projects embarked upon by the New Zealand Government in the mid-1970s. Two-way radio and paging products rapidly established themselves as the preferred communication solutions for petrochemical, construction, government and utility services.

The establishment of a cellular network by Telecom New Zealand in 1987 resulted in the introduction of Motorola's AMPS cellular phones to the market. The decision by Telecom NZ to follow the United Kingdom model of marketing its network services through service providers provided Motorola with the opportunity to rapidly become the largest and most successful of several such service providers.

Market entry by BellSouth as the second cellular operator in the mid-1980s using GSM technology, saw Telecom pre-empt the cellular digital revolution with introduction of a TDMA overlay to its AMPS network. To consolidate Telecom's distribution operations, Motorola sold its service provider, Motorola Cellular Services (MCS) to Telecom New Zealand in July 1998. In November 1998, Vodafone purchased BellSouth's New Zealand GSM operations.

With an Auckland headquartered presence of the Personal Communications Sector (PCS), Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector (CGISS), and Network Solutions Sector (NSS), Motorola remains the leading paging and cellular brand in New Zealand. These sectors are partnered by an extensive distributor and service agent network supporting TDMA, GSM,CDMA and AMPS phones. The two-way radio dealer network provides nationwide support for government agencies, and utility and fleet services.

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