The Tech Users Association (TUANZ) supports a call for high-quality connectivity to be prioritised by the Government as
a core utility, a newly published report says.
“The last few years have shown that high-quality connectivity has real value and is an essential need in today’s world.
If there was any lingering doubt, the significant weather events of early 2023 made it clear that we need to invest in
resilient connectivity for our rural communities,” says Craig Young, CEO, TUANZ.
“While the vast majority of urban NZ have been able to carry on without missing a beat, regional and rural NZ users have
had mixed experiences at best or had to deal with being disconnected for significant periods.
“As we head into a period of infrastructure rebuild in large parts of the motu, we need to ensure that the lessons in
resiliency we have learned this year are not forgotten. It is not simply a case of rebuilding what was there before, we
must build back better.”
Insights from the 2023 Rural Connectivity Symposium (RCS) have been published by the Tech Users Association (TUANZ). The
Rural Connectivity Symposium 2023 Communique highlights current efforts, challenges, future solutions and what’s next.Key themes include:
Building on the work and investment to date, we urge the Government to treat high-quality connectivity as a core utility
service and to prioritise it accordingly.
Our end goal should be to ensure that the rural experience is at least equivalent to urban in terms of affordability and
capacity, recognising the requirement for further investment in infrastructure, a tech-agnostic mindset, and a
multi-layer approach.
This end user approach should be supported by a change in how the “business case" for investment is viewed - with
greater emphasis given to the socioeconomic returns of providing quality connectivity to rural, remote, and isolated
areas of New Zealand.
The rollout of a publicly available national connectivity register remains a priority. This would offer users and
providers a view of the best form of connectivity available
at their location.
Importantly, these actions need to be supported by a contextual focused awareness Programme designed to educate
communities on the opportunities they may or may not be aware of.
“Solutions to rural connectivity challenges are not only about providing better coverage and capacity but about
understanding and delivering on the broader connectivity needs of rural and remote New Zealanders. We still need to look
at connectivity in the digital world more holistically in terms of affordability, use, skills, digital literacy, and
value,” says Craig.