Smart bench comes to Paeroa as part of Hauraki district trial

The smart bench will be in front of the i-Site in Paeroa from early December through to March 2023. Photo / Supplied

Hauraki District Council is partnering with Smart City NZ to trial one of its smart benches in Paeroa this summer.

The smart bench will be installed in the quad in front of the i-Site next week for the community to try for three months.

The Smart Bench 1500 Ultra is powered by solar energy and stores energy for days when there is no sunshine and during the night. With USB charging ports and a Wi-Fi hotspot, the bench also measures temperature, air pressure and humidity.

“This trial is really about trialling the technology, if it is used and looked after, it could be something we will see more of in all of our towns,” said Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams.

“I see the bench being a hit with our youth, but also encourage visitors to sit and recharge their phones and themselves, and perhaps stay a little longer.”

Smart City NZ’s mobile app shows the nearest smart bench and real-time data from sensors. In order to connect to the free Wi-Fi internet, a landing page is opened.

“The cost of the free Wi-Fi is answering a couple of simple questions, ‘Do you like the bench?’ and ‘Would you like to see more in our district?’ when you get to the landing page,” said Mayor Adams.

Ben Ransley, the co-founder of Smart City, said, “Technology is now such a major part of everyday life – our phones don’t just make calls but they keep track of our calendars, provide up-to-the-minute news, they allow us to keep our social media up to date, get contacted in an emergency, the list goes on. A smart bench is a great way to get connected, get charged and get comfortable.”

The smart bench will be in front of the i-Site from early December until March.