Dunedin wins Gigatown Supporters World Competition

Dunedin wins Gigatown Supporters World Competition

Media Release
9 December 2013

Dunedin has won the Gigatown Supporters World competition, scoring itself bonus 25,000 points in the race to become Gigatown.

Timaru has come in second place earning an additional 15,000 points and Masterton has come in third place earning a bonus 10,000. Timaru, Blenheim and Queenstown have also scored a bonus 10,000 points for doubling their supporter base.

In addition to a points boost, Dunedin has also won a visit from 3D chalk artist Leon Keer who will commence a Fantasy World of Fibre drawing in Dunedin’s Octagon today.

The artwork will take three Days to complete and will culminate in a public unveiling for Dunedin residents between 3-7pm on Wednesday 11th December.

Chorus General Manger Marketing and Sales, Vic Crone says the Supporter’s World competition has engaged more than 4,000 new supporters via an email sign-up process on the Gigatown website.

“We are delighted that so many New Zealanders have chosen to support their town’s campaign to become New Zealand’s first gig city,” says Crone.

“We want to acknowledge the hard work and determination of local campaign leaders, many of whom spent the weekend raising awareness of how a gig can transform their town’s economy and way of life. This is indeed a very exciting competition.”

Since launching on Labour Day this year, Chorus’s Gigatown competition has attracted a remarkable level of engagement from a range of New Zealand communities determined to win a subsidised wholesale 1gbps internet connection - the fastest in the southern hemisphere.

To date the Gigatown website has attracted more than 80,000 unique visitors, and the campaign’s email supporter’s network has gained more than 15,800 individual members.

All 50 towns are actively engaged in Gigatown, with 30 having increased their town’s email supporter base over the course of the Supporter’s World competition.

Since Gigatown launched these online communities have generated around 400,000 pieces of eligible hash-tagged content, and currently there are currently 39 official Facebook and blog pages dedicated to local Gigatown campaigns.

Vic Crone says this level of engagement is showing no signs of slowing down, with approximately 60% of online New Zealanders saying that they will either get involved or are already involved in the competition.

“What has been most rewarding is the feedback we’re receiving from Gigatown community leaders who’ve said this competition has seen their communities engage with online communication and technologies in ways they’ve never seen before. This spirit of collaboration and innovation is what lies at the heart of the Gigatown competition,” says Crone.
www.gigatown.co.nz

ENDS

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