Demand for streaming services has seen broadband usage in the Whanganui district jump by 84 per cent in the past 18 months.

New statistics from Chorus show that in January 2015 the average Whanganui home used 34GB of data. That had surged to 62GB in June 2016.

Rosalie Nelson from Chorus said that surge was most likely caused by an increase in demand for services such as Netflix.

"More than half of New Zealanders now watch Internet TV where the number of online film and TV platforms has exploded," Ms Nelson said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"But this isn't just about watching more and more content online, it's also about the rapid digitisation of our everyday lives. Broadband as the fourth utility sits at the heart of the home and plays a pivotal role in how we function in our day-to-day lives."

However, Whanganui is still lagging behind the national average for broadband consumption. In June 2016, the average New Zealand home used 102GB of broadband data in June 2016 - more than double the amount used at the start of 2015 (49GB).