Last week, I announced that as of December 2014 more than 11.3 per cent, or nearly 70,000 households and businesses, have connected to Ultra-Fast Broadband. This is more than four times the number connected at the end of 2012.

Better connectivity is critical for our kids to get a good education, for businesses to thrive and employ, and for our economy to grow stronger. That’s why we are rolling out world-class broadband to 75 per cent of New Zealanders and will extend this to 80 per cent over the next few years.

Our Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) and Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) projects are the most ambitious infrastructure programme New Zealand has ever undertaken. And we’re making steady progress.

Uptake here is streets ahead of other countries. Singapore, which is building a similar network, had only two per cent uptake at the same stage of its build.

We’ve completed 43 per cent of the UFB build – seven per cent ahead of schedule. A total of 2,285 schools now have fibre ready for service.

Under the Rural Broadband Initiative, 104 towers are now ready for service and a further 305 upgraded. Around 231,000 addresses are able to connect to fixed wireless RBI and 1.5 million individual customers accessed mobile services from the new towers.

National is building broadband infrastructure that is transforming New Zealand’s future.

Hon Amy Adams

© Scoop Media