'Distance is no object': Waipukurau and Waipawa ready for fibre

Central Hawke's Bay mayor Alex Walker is a strong advocate for improved internet connectivity across the district. Photo / File

Internet and cloud network dependent businesses may be the "new normal" for small rural towns like Waipukurau and Waipawa thanks to improved internet access.

"With how we do business now, distance is no object," Central Hawke's Bay mayor Alex Walker said.

"We can really be connected to the intensive technology businesses and cloud platforms – all of those things that make our life easier and faster."

She said internet connectivity was an issue the council had advocated on for many years.

"It's vital we have access to those opportunities."

More than 2600 homes and businesses across Waipukurau and Waipawa will soon have access to consistent and reliable internet as Chorus' fibre broadband build nears completion.

Walker said the expansion of rural mobile and broadband coverage had been helped by the government ultra-fast broadband [UFB) programme and Rural Broadband Initiative 2 (RBI2), with multiple new towers going up around the region to remove rural black spots.

"They're making some good progress on that and I'm looking forward to that work being completed."

The two programmes provided new businesses opportunities for small towns, she said.

"Creativity and entrepreneurialism is strong in rural New Zealand just like in urban New Zealand.

"It's living the dream and working the dream."

In an office in Waipukurau, a team of about nine are providing customer support and member management for dozens of organisations around the country.

"We run all the customer support for our clients from here in Waipukurau," explained Lisa Metcalfe, of Clad Online.

The flexible member management system caters largely to professional organisations like Learning Disabilities Association of New Zealand, takes care of everything from administration requirements to membership engagement.

She said the fibre installation would make a "huge" difference.

"Our whole business is online.

"We manage our online server from here so need to be able to have fast access with good upload and download speeds."

Technology businesses was a growing sector in Hawke's Bay, she said.

"Hawke's Bay in particular is very strong on technology businesses.

"I think that particularly this year we are seeing more remote work which is essential for all sorts of people.

"A lot of these people are in smaller towns and we are seeing a movement from people in the cities into the provincial areas.

The flow-on effect of that is an absolute need for strong internet access though, she said.

"That's the norm of the future going ahead."

Fibre installation for most parts of Waipukurau and Waipawa is set to be completed by the end of November, but for some streets where the build started later this will be completed between mid-November and the end of January next year.