Slingshot is extending eligibility for its offer of six months' free broadband, valued at around $500, for workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.
The Vocus-owned ISP says supermarket workers, delivery drivers, bus drivers, food bank and MIQ staff now qualify.
They join police, nurses, teachers, members of the defence force and midwives (see the full list of eligible professions here).
It's a no-obligation deal, Slingshot CEO Taryn Hamilton says.
"When we say 'no contract, no hooks' we genuinely mean it. You won't be locked into a fixed-term contract, and there's nothing special you need to do to take advantage of the offer - other than being an eligible frontline or essential worker."
Those who take up the offer will get 100Mbps UFB fibre with unlimited data (that is, Slingshot's most popular plan) for free, with recipients able to upgrade to Gigantic plan (which offers speeds of up to 1Gbps or 1000Mbps) if they pay $10 per month.
It's a case of BYO modem (if you're already on a UFB fibre plan with another provider, your modem should work with Slingshot.)
"We've had a surge of signups from the day we announced this. Having asked the public for recommendations for other professions and vocations with people who deserve a vote of thanks by getting free internet, we're answering by making the offer available to many more who are at the forefront of New Zealand's Covid response. It's great to be able to give something back to those who help us day in and day out," Hamilton says.
People are welcome to suggest further roles who they think should be eligible for the free broadband, he adds.
Slingshot is part of the Australasian telco Vocus Group, which recently delisted from the ASX after being bought by Voyage Australia (a joint venture between Macquarie subsidiary Mira and Aware Super) for A$3.4 billion).
Voyage has hired Forsyth Barr, Goldman Sachs and UBS to manage a potential IPO for Vocus' New Zealand arm, which includes Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, provisioning for Sky Broadband, a nationwide fibre network, a retail power operation and other assets.
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