InternetNZ welcomes international WIP findings

InternetNZ welcomes international WIP findings

Media Release – 26 November 2008 – InternetNZ (Internet New Zealand Inc) welcomes the release of latest data from the World Internet Project (WIP) comparing Internet use in New Zealand with that in thirteen other countries.

While New Zealand has the highest penetration of Internet use, our proportion of broadband users is disappointing, with still 35 percent of users using dial-up at home, compared with only 22 percent in the USA and Australia, and 11 percent in the United Kingdom. New Zealand has one of the lowest penetration rates of broadband at home at 65 percent.

InternetNZ Executive Director Keith Davidson says the preponderance of dial-up is a concern, with a large number of New Zealanders still unable to enjoy the full benefits offered by the Internet. “These users are confined by virtue of their slow connections to using relatively static and low bandwidth applications.”

Internet use in New Zealand is more or less gender and age neutral in line with other countries, and New Zealand ranks second highest in use of home wireless networks at 8.8 hours per week.

The results also show that New Zealanders are keen users of email, with 81 percent of respondents emailing daily or several times a day. Banking online is also popular in New Zealand, with 16 percent of respondents using online banking services daily or several times a day.

InternetNZ is contributing to funding the WIP New Zealand Survey, which is part of an international research initiative that aims to track global trends in Internet use. The New Zealand survey is being conducted by Auckland University of Technology’s Institute of Culture, Discourse & Communication.

The Society has been an enthusiastic supporter of the World Internet Project since 2006 when the Society sponsored WIP’s California-based Project Director Professor Jeffrey Cole to come to New Zealand to talk about the project.

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