Ian McKelvie: Bold rural broadband rollout on track

DURING the past year Ihave been fortunate to be able to visit many parts of rural New Zealand. I have also gained some insight into the different priorities facing those living in rural and provincial South Island towns and their North Island counterparts - and they are worth noting.

The south is characterised by near full employment, reasonably buoyant small towns, and good infrastructure like power and roads - all of this creating a certain optimism. It seems that by far the major concern is water access, whether it's for business, agribusiness or recreation.

The North Island provincial areas have quite different priorities. Issues such as depopulation, unemployment and infrastructure (roads, power and broadband) are what are challenging our local communities.

Fortunately, these concerns are being countered by increasing tourism, better returns for the hill country sheep and beef farmers and improving environmental outcomes - all of which should lead to better employment opportunities and a consolidation of the population.

The fact is that no matter where you live, learn or work, being connected to the internet is a must-have in 2015. Communicating with family and friends, connecting your business with the world or accessing quality information - it's a lot easier with fast, reliable internet and it is immensely frustrating when a slow connection or download speed curtails your ability to communicate, work or play.

That's why the Government is investing more than $2 billion into boosting connectivity through the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) programme and the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI). We're making better broadband accessible to more Kiwis than ever before.

In Whanganui, the build is 100 per cent complete, with 20,404 households now able to connect. In Palmerston North they're at 62 per cent with 21,562 households able to connect, while Feilding is at 32 per cent with 2123 households connected.

It goes without saying that better broadband will help us to connect our region with the world. It wasn't that long ago when only one in five rural homes could connect to broadband peak speeds of at least 5 Mbps. With RBI now well under way, four in every five homes can connect.

Across New Zealand, faster broadband is being delivered at pace and it is reassuring to note that more than 271,000 rural addresses are now able to connect to high-speed broadband.

New Zealand's unique geography means getting broadband to some areas isn't easy, but we are a Government committed to progress. We have set ambitious targets to better New Zealand's internet connectivity across the board. Our targets are bold but our build is on track and under budget.

High-speed connectivity is very important for our farming and tourism operators as technology plays an increasing role in their operations. We want all Kiwis, living in or out of town, to have access to the economic and social benefits of high-speed connectivity.

-Ian McKelvie is the MP for Rangitikei.