The Tech Users Association (TUANZ) supports a call for high-quality connectivity to be prioritised by the Government as a core utility, a newly published report says.

“The last few years have shown that high-quality connectivity has real value and is an essential need in today’s world. If there was any lingering doubt, the significant weather events of early 2023 made it clear that we need to invest in resilient connectivity for our rural communities,” says Craig Young, CEO, TUANZ.

“While the vast majority of urban NZ have been able to carry on without missing a beat, regional and rural NZ users have had mixed experiences at best or had to deal with being disconnected for significant periods.

“As we head into a period of infrastructure rebuild in large parts of the motu, we need to ensure that the lessons in resiliency we have learned this year are not forgotten. It is not simply a case of rebuilding what was there before, we must build back better.”

Insights from the 2023 Rural Connectivity Symposium (RCS) have been published by the Tech Users Association (TUANZ).  The Rural Connectivity Symposium 2023 Communique highlights current efforts, challenges, future solutions and what’s next.

Key themes include:

• Building on the work and investment to date, we urge the Government to treat high-quality connectivity as a core utility service and to prioritise it accordingly.
• Our end goal should be to ensure that the rural experience is at least equivalent to urban in terms of affordability and capacity, recognising the requirement for further investment in infrastructure, a tech-agnostic mindset, and a multi-layer approach.
• This end user approach should be supported by a change in how the “business case” for investment is viewed – with greater emphasis given to the socioeconomic returns of providing quality connectivity to rural, remote, and isolated areas of New Zealand.
• The rollout of a publicly available national connectivity register remains a priority. This would offer users and providers a view of the best form of connectivity available at their location.
• Importantly, these actions need to be supported by a contextual focused awareness Programme designed to educate communities on the opportunities they may or may not be aware of.

“Solutions to rural connectivity challenges are not only about providing better coverage and capacity but about understanding and delivering on the broader connectivity needs of rural and remote New Zealanders. We still need to look at connectivity in the digital world more holistically in terms of affordability, use, skills, digital literacy, and value,” says Craig.

For further comment or interview, please contact Craig Young

Phone: 021 488 188

Email: craig.young@tuanz.org.nz

Government, industry, and community representatives gathered at the Tech Users Association (TUANZ) Rural Connectivity Symposium in Christchurch yesterday, to discuss future proofing connectivity in our rural communities.

“Recent weather events at the beginning of this year have reinforced the need to continue to future-proof rural communities in Aotearoa, with regional and rural New Zealand users having a mixed experience at best, or having to deal with being disconnected for significant periods of time,” says TUANZ CEO Craig Young.

Minister of Digital Economy and Communications, Hon Gin Andersen, opened the event and said the Government remains acutely aware of the importance of rural connectivity. She addressed that while building resilience is important, we need to balance that with keeping our eye on the horizon and investing in a better tomorrow.

Today’s budget announcement by the Government has announced a $6 billion spend to fund a National Resilience Plan in response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other extreme weather events, including reinstating telecommunications, although the details of how much will be focused on ensuring that families and whanau can remain in touch in these events is unclear. The Government will also fund an initiative to support the recovery of under-serviced rural communities that have been impacted by the North Island weather events. Funding will cover the creation of centralised community hubs, as well as improved access to critical recovery services and reliable telecommunications.

“It’s also pleasing to see that the Government has extended The Equitable Digital Access Programme until June 2024, which provides funding to continue free home internet access for up to 18,000 student households until June 2024. TUANZ wrote to the Prime Minister late last year asking for this programme to be expanded,” says Craig.

Chorus CEO JB Rousselot’s keynote presentation at the symposium called for the industry and Government to work together on delivering rural connectivity that continues to meet the needs of all New Zealanders and concentrate on closing the digital divide. In his speech, JB signalled Chorus’s intention to retire the copper network within the next ten years and become an all-fibre company. The company estimates about $500m of investment could extend its fibre network to an additional 75,000 premises, providing over 90 percent of the population with access to fibre.

TUANZ CEO Craig Young announced the organisation’s new vision at the event: “Our vision is that by 2033, all individuals and businesses in New Zealand will have unrestricted access to the technology and services they need to thrive; no one misses out on the opportunities available to them in the digital technology world; and digital engagement is safe and inclusive for all New Zealanders.

“We will contribute to this by being a strong independent voice for all users of technology and helping our members prepare to take advantage of this digital future”, says Craig.

The new vision relates to some of the key topics discussed at the event including equity and affordability, reliable and resilient infrastructure, and how connectivity can enable and empower residents to become active participants in the economy.

Community representatives at the symposium spoke of the ongoing uncertainties following recent extreme weather events and people want assurances to restore their faith in the resiliency of our telecommunications infrastructure. And although they felt heard, they didn’t feel there was enough action or follow through.

“As we now head into a period of infrastructure rebuild in large parts of the motu, we need to ensure that the lessons learnt after these events are not forgotten, and in fact we “build back better”. Being an election year gives us the chance to sit down with politicians, reset the dialogue around the next steps for connectivity and imagine what could be if we saw continued real improvements to rural services,” says Craig.

For further comment or interview, please contact Craig Young
Phone: 021 488 188
Email: craig.young@tuanz.org.nz

The Tech Users Association (TUANZ) supports the government’s Lifting Connectivity in Aotearoa statement of intent regarding digital connectivity infrastructure released today.

Lifting Connectivity in Aotearoa outlines the foundation for the digital connectivity we currently have, and the areas that need to continue to be addressed in order to reach the overarching vision of enabling Aotearoa New Zealand’s people, communities, economy and environment to flourish and prosper in the digital era outlined in the Digital Strategy for Aotearoa released this year.

“The last two years of pandemic disruptions have highlighted the importance of high-quality connectivity when it comes to how we work, learn, do business and socialise remotely,” says Craig Young, CEO, TUANZ.

“We’ve been proposing a 10 year plan for some time now, so it’s great to see this is now in place with some clear objectives and principles on how the government aims to meet these.”

“While urban New Zealand has enjoyed a seamless experience, rural, sub-rural and remote users have not always experienced the same standard of connectivity. We are pleased the government has included goals to improve access to connectivity infrastructure, particularly for rural and remote communities, and are focusing on local solutions for local problems which we have always pushed for.”

“This statement of intent sets out some good ambitions and we’ll make sure we hold the government and industry to account.”

Insights from Lifting Connectivity in Aotearoa have been published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Key themes include:

1. Enabling more people to benefit from connectivity
2. Digital connectivity progress since the launch of Ultra-Fast Broadband
3. Challenges and opportunities for the future
4. Government’s vision for 2032: All people in New Zealand have broadband and voice connectivity networks available to them that meet their life, work and study needs.

“Ultimately, we are pleased to see some clear goals set out and captured in this statement of intent. We will continue to push for improved access to connectivity infrastructure, particularly for rural and remote communities, and want to see this intent endure any change of government. Now we will wait to see how well the government delivers on these aspirations,” says Craig.

View the report here.

For further comment or interview, please contact Craig Young

Phone: 021 488 188

Email: craig.young@tuanz.org.nz

TUANZ is proud to be the named sponsor of the People’s Choice Award – Broadband 2022 at the NZ Compare Awards. The award recognises the best overall service provider in New Zealand, as voted by the New Zealand public. 

The award celebrates a service provider that has achieved success based on those that matter to them – their community, stakeholders, staff, and customers. Businesses like this contribute to our focus on driving New Zealand telecommunications forward so New Zealand can make the most of the digitally connected world.

As an independent voice for all Kiwi users of technology, TUANZ is pleased to see Internet Service Providers striving to help New Zealanders access connected technology, and in turn improve New Zealand’s economic prosperity.

Voting for the award is now open! So go on and cast your vote for who you think is the best overall service provider in the country.

Public voting closes on Friday 18 November. The winner will be announced at a Gala Awards Night in Auckland on Thursday 1 December, where we will present the award.

For more information, visit https://awards.nzcompare.com/category/peoples-choice-award-broadband-2022