Ultra-fast broadband reaches more in Hawke's Bay

Broadband is improving to more of Hawke's Bay under the latest extension of the Government's Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) programme.

Seven new residential areas will receive broadband, five tourist destinations and thousands of rural dwellers.

The residential areas are Bay View, Frasertown, Ongaonga, Takapau, Te Awanga, Waimarama and Whirinaki.

The tourist destinations are Blackhead, Kairakau Beach, Tutira, Waihua and Waipatiki Beach.

Four state highways will receive improved mobile coverage, with about 95km across State Highways 2, 5, 38 and 50.

The entire UFB build in Hawke's Bay will be complete by the end of 2022.

More than 4000 households and businesses in will receive new rural broadband coverage, with the exact coverage to be determined.

Two key Hawke's Bay rural wireless broadband providers are merging to increase rural coverage, forming one of the largest rural internet providers in the country.

Taylor Broadband and WASP Broadband are matching government funding for a combined $1 million expansion of their wireless network.

Their contract was awarded under the banner of the New Zealand Technology Group and enable an extension of its network.

New transmitter sites would provide world-class broadband at urban prices, Taylor director Ray Taylor said.

"As someone who grew up in a town, I used to think that if you choose to live on a farm or orchard you should accept that the internet isn't going to be good," Mr Taylor said.

"But in doing this, I have learned that the life we enjoy is powered by primary sector and the GDP they bring into the region. They should have every right to be connected like those in town."

WASP director Don Price said the companies' 10-year success in the region was thanks to the support of the hilltop landowners.

Hawke's Bay-based AoNet Broadband was awarded a contract for rural King Country wireless internet.

It operates 125 tower sites throughout the North Island: from Auckland to Manawatu, Waimiha to Ohakune in the King Country and Puketitiri to Porangahau in Hawke's Bay.

It was established in 2014 to provide broadband to founder Lachlan Waipukurau potato farm.

"We don't need Government assistance to develop our service across Hawke's Bay," he said.

"We are funding our growth ourselves and we are committed to providing quality connections to rural catchments across the region in a cost-effective way, so regardless of your location you can still be connected."

AoNet supplied the network for security cameras recently installed in Waipukurau and Waipawa.

Nationally the government announced $140m to extend the RBI to another 74,000 rural households and businesses, deliver mobile coverage on 1000km of rural highways and more than 100 tourist areas through the Mobile Black Spot Fund.