One in five Kiwis don't have a landline phone anymore, survey finds

A new survey of 2258 Kiwi cellphone users found 20 per cent didn't have a landline. According to census data only a decade ago more than 90 per cent of New Zealand households had a landline connection. Photo / 123RF

One in five New Zealanders have pulled the plug on their landline, relying instead on their smartphone to stay connected.

A new survey of 2258 Kiwi cellphone users by customer research agency Canstar Blue found that 20 per cent of respondents didn't have a landline.

Census data shows that only a decade ago more than 90 per cent of households had a landline connection.

The younger generation was leading the technological revolution, the survey found, with about half of millennials saying they didn't have a landline connection, compared to only one in 10 baby boomers.

Canstar Blue spokeswoman Emma Quantrill said the survey results were not surprising because Kiwis had always been quick to adapt to new technologies.

"New Zealand has always been switched on when it comes to communications. In the 1930s we had more telephones per capita than any other country bar the USA, so it makes sense that we're happy to embrace the latest round of technology."

And it's not just the humble landline that's being ditched as smart devices become more popular with Kiwis.

More than a quarter of those surveyed said they used their phone more than their computer.

Even more, 35 per cent of respondents said they were more likely to use apps like Facebook and WhatsApp to contact their friends than text messaging or voice calls.

Quantrill said Kiwis' technology usage has changed since the internet has become more accessible in the last decade.

"As recently as 2001, only 37 per cent of households had access to the internet, mostly by 'dialling up' through existing telephone lines.

"With the development of WiFi, there are now very few limitations to where, when and how we use our mobile devices and our younger generations are taking connectivity for granted.

"Our appetite for accessing everything from our bank accounts to information on our sleep patterns via that small device in our pocket seems insatiable. It'll be interesting to see where technology takes us next."