Hon Amy Adams

Minister for Communications

17 June 2016

Media Statement
$40m Rotorua UFB build completed

Rotorua’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) rollout is now complete, meaning nearly 27,000 local residents can connect to New Zealand’s growing fibre network, says Communications Minister Amy Adams.

In Rotorua to mark the completion today, Ms Adams says 18 of the 33 towns and cities included under UFB phase one are now complete.

“Building UFB across the country is an enormous undertaking. It’s the biggest infrastructure project in New Zealand’s history, and it’s being delivered on budget and ahead of schedule,” says Ms Adams.

Chorus is the largest build partner in the UFB rollout, and has been responsible for the build in Rotorua – their largest UFB build to date.

Ms Adams says UFB uptake in Rotorua is above the national average at 22.6 per cent as of the end of March, and that with the network now complete, every month will see UFB penetration increase markedly.

“Schools, homes and businesses are rapidly discovering the benefits of faster broadband. New Zealanders tell us repeatedly that once they have fibre, they wonder how they ever lived without it.”

Thirty-one schools in Rotorua can connect to UFB as well as hospitals. The Rotorua build commenced in November 2011, and total investment exceeds $40 million.

Since the UFB initiative began, the Government has allocated a further $360 million to extend faster broadband around the country and connect mobile blackspots.

ENDS

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