Broadband infrastructure and the digital economy is increasingly complex. For everyday users, we can understand how it can seem overwhelming. The good news is that there’s lots of information and really useful tools available.
Getting the best broadband available to you
Like most kiwis, you’ll want the fastest broadband available to you, for the best prices and via a good internet service provider (ISP).
We’ve listened to New Zealand’s most common broadband-related queries, and have compiled information and links to useful tools in the FAQs below:
What speed is my broadband?
There are a number of internet speed test sites you can use to see what speed you are experiencing. We can recommend the following:
Please understand that speed test sites measure speed from your device through to their servers, so the results can be very dependant on factors such as quality of your wifi router, the access network and also the network of your retail provider.
If you think the speed you are getting is slower than you think it should be, you should contact your service provider.
Am I getting the best broadband speed available?
Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) via fibre infrastructure delivers the fastest internet speeds. To see if fibre is available to you, check out the website of your local fibre company (as shown below).
Fibre can facilitate different broadband speeds with different plans (e.g. 200/200mbps or 100/50mbps, upload and download), so if you already have fibre, you can contact your local internet service to see if they have any faster plans available for you.
Please understand that a range of different factors can influence the speeds you experience from your device (e.g. Smart TV or computer), such as the quality of the wifi router, distance from wifi router and how you maintain your device (in terms of clearing browser history and installing software updates).
New Zealand Local Fibre Companies (LFCs) each cover specific regions of New Zealand, as below:
- Chorus: Auckland, Taupo, Wellington and majority of all other cities/towns not mentioned below.
- Northpower: Whangarei.
- Ultrafast Fibre: Hamilton, Tauranga, TeAwamutu, Cambridge, Tokoroa, New Plymouth, Hawera and Whanganui.
- Enable: Christchurch, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Woodend, Rolleston, Lincoln, Prebbleton and Templeton.
Can I compare broadband plans, prices and providers?
These are the most recently released websites. They are heavily reliant on the information they are provided by retailers, or the information they can glean from the retailers websites – use them to give you some idea of what’s available, then click through to the retailer’s own site to check for yourself.
- Broadband Compare: website provides a list of plans from different providers who can service your address. Their aim is to show you the best plan available to you.
- Glimp: is another independent site for comparing broadband plans. Again, you’ll use your address to show what plans are available to you.
- InternetNZ: shines light on how ISPs are conducting their business. They reveal information such as whether they are using IPV6, how often they give your information to law enforcement, security vulnerabilities and whether they use the Digital Child Exploitation Filter.
Get in touch
The team are here to help assist you with any questions or help you might need. Feel free to contact them directly as listed below or through the office.
Phone: +64 4 815 8178
Email: office@tuanz.org.nz
