Oamaru becomes South Island’s first fully-fibred town

More than 6200 households, schools, businesses and health facilities in Oamaru can now connect to Ultra-fast Broadband, Communications Minister Amy Adams has announced.

Speaking at Aoraki Polytechnic in Oamaru today, Ms Adams said it was the third urban area in New Zealand to have its UFB network completed and the first in the South Island.

“The Government is committed to building world-class fibre infrastructure in regional towns around New Zealand because of the long-term gains it will bring. Faster broadband is critical to growing the economy, driving innovation and improving outcomes in education, health and the not-for-profit sector,” says Ms Adams.

“Together, the Government and Chorus have invested more than $21 million to deliver UFB to Oamaru. This investment means more than 6200 households, schools, businesses and health facilities are fully-fibred and can connect to the high-speed network.”

This includes eight schools in the area connecting to fibre, seven of which have already joined up to the Government’s Network for Learning.

Ms Adams said Aoraki Polytechnic was also benefiting from UFB after recently signing up.

The Oamaru campus can now connect to the Timaru, Ashburton and Christchurch campus via video conferencing which means that students can access courses and tutors that were not previously available in Oamaru.

Work began to deliver the high-speed fibre broadband network in Oamaru in December 2012. The build marks the first town to be completed by Chorus –Northpower Fibre completed UFB in Whangarei in May and Ultrafast Fibre Ltd ended their work in Te Awamutu in October.

“The next step is extending UFB from a target of 75 per cent to 80 per cent of New Zealanders, funded from the Future Investment Fund,” says Ms Adams.
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