Wairoa enjoys free Wi Fi downtown

Wairoa residents and visitors are now browsing and tweeting to their hearts' content with free Wi-Fi downtown.

The network - called Wairoa Wifi - is available in outdoor areas from Riverview Dairy in Marine Parade through to the Lighthouse, including parts of the riverbank reserve and potentially beyond, as the network is unleashed.

Wairoa is one of the first small towns in Australasia to provide such a free, comprehensive Wi-Fi network. It cost $9000 to set up, and is expected to cost $1500 a year.

Wairoa Mayor Les Probert said the network provided a great advantage for businesses, residents and tourists.

"Our compact CBD means free wireless is far more manageable to install than most towns," he said. "We've got a huge number of laptop and smartphone owners in this smart town of ours ...

"The way people communicate, do business or simply keep in touch with the world gets a huge boost with free Wi-Fi. The advantages for business are significant. People can access important information from almost anywhere in the CBD. Living in Wairoa just got even better," said Mr Probert.

The council's administration manager James Baty said the service did not have a time limit and that its implementation was a joint effort involving the Wairoa District Council, the Citizens' Advice Bureau, Harcourts - Wairoa Property, local property owner Jill Cameron and network service provider Wasp NZ.

It was designed to work in outdoor places and, while it was unlikely it would pass through solid walls, it could work near windows in some buildings.

Advice had been taken surrounding a new law against downloading copyrighted material, and the council was happy the new service would comply, he said.

The number of people accessing the free service was expected to surge during the Rugby World Cup, and technicians would be keeping a close eye on the network's performance and compliance issues.