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30 August 2017

Waikato district welcomes UFB expansion to growing towns

Waikato District Council welcomes the Government announcement today that it will be rolling out a third wave of ultrafast broadband (UFB) to another six of the district’s growing towns, and providing mobile coverage for three more locations through the Rural Broadband initiative.

Mayor Allan Sanson says. “It’s gratifying that the Government has recognised an ongoing need to support our case for broadband, especially since we are such a fast-growing district.”

“This will ensure that residential and commercial growth across the district, including some rural locations that are important to our growing tourism sector, will now be supported by broadband coverage.”

Recent statistics show that growth in Waikato district is rivalling Wellington, driven partly by spillover growth from Auckland and Hamilton and Waikato’s central position in the ‘golden triangle’ bounded by its nearest city neighbours and Tauranga.

Waikato District Council manages the third fastest growing district in the country when measured by consents for new dwellings. The district is outpacing national statistics in new business and employment growth, posting an annual employment growth of 4.6% (NZ 2.7%) and new business growth of 2.2% (NZ 1.6%) in the latest statistics to hand for the year to March 2016. Tourism spending in the district jumped 17% to $112m in the year to March 2017 compared with an 8.3% rise to $25,988m in New Zealand overall.

The six Waikato district towns included in the Government’s fibre rollout include Pokeno, Meremere and Port Waikato in the northern parts of the district, and Te Kowhai, Tamahere-Matangi and Tauwhare in the central and southern parts of the district. Rural broadband will be extended to Glen Murray, Nikau Cave and Waingaro.

Eight Waikato district towns are already in the pipeline for fibre-based broadband. These are Tuakau, Te Kauwhata, Huntly, Taupiri, Ngaruawahia, Horotiu, Whatawhata and Raglan.

Mayor Allan Sanson says the Council has worked hard with its community to help support more broadband investment in the district and the effort has been vindicated.

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