In 2017, Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP) assessed that 90,000 rural households and businesses were unable to access broadband speeds of at least 20 Mbps download. The Government will bring forward spending plans to get remote communities access to broadband as part of its attempts to stimulate the economy. The Government's aim was to provide broadband access to around 99.8 per cent of New Zealanders. "While New Zealand looks to put the economy on the path to recovery, we must ensure our rural communities aren't left behind." As a result the Rural Broadband Initiative was launched to reduce this number.

Source: Stuff April 28, 2020 16:52 UTC