OPINION Are two bars enough for Tararua?
There’s a question rural residents need to ask themselves: “Are two bars ok by me?”
Surveys being undertaken by Connect Tararua are providing some startling statistics that support a case to be taken to Central Government for improved cellphone and internet connectivity.
“To date we have mapped 1311km of our 1956km of roads and preliminary results are staggering,” chairman Tim Poulton said. “Bearing in mind that the mapping we’re doing doesn’t include the three major towns, the roads mapped reveal that only 6.1 per cent have four bars of reception, 18.4 per cent havetwo to three bars while 75.5 per cent have no reception at all.
“We have used Red, Orange and Green to illustrate the levels of coverage and the percentage of Tararua coloured red gives the impression of a District bleeding. Preliminary data captured is showing a trend and while we still have some distance to go, the trends are becoming obvious.”
The telecommunications survey being carried out by locals will provide data that will produce statistics to enable Connect Tararua to work towards providing a more resilient reliable telecommunications service.
“We need to engage with residents living all remote areas of the District to put together a strong case to take to Government, we need to determine cellphone demand by demographics and time, the current use of telecommunications accounts systems and the types of businesses across the district that rely on connectivity in order to function efficiently,” Tim said.
Engaging local champions to carry out the surveys in each rural area has been a key focus for Connect Tararua.
“We have designed the survey to provide base information about residents’ current connectivity for
personal and business circumstances.”
The surveys are targeting all households in rural Tararua, using multiple interviewers.
“With the diverse number of interviewers, when someone knocks on your door, you are likely to know them, which makes the process a lot easier,” Tim said. “Information gathered will be collated and used as a district wide summary to support the business case to relevant stakeholders such as Crown Infrastructure Partners and Rural Connectivity Group.”
“Many Tararua District residents may be used to two bars of connectivity and possibly consider that this is as good as it gets.”
“Is this a case of you don’t miss what you haven’t had? Many opportunities are being lost because of the lack of service. No reception or two bars of reception is not acceptable.” “MBIE has a goal for New Zealand to be an adaptive leading digital nation, with a thriving digital sector where business people and government are all using digital technology to drive innovation, improve productivity and enhance life for all New Zealanders,” he said.
“This cannot be achieved with two bars of connectivity. Many initiatives for health, education, agriculture and social wellbeing are being rolled out across the country but often can’t be used because of the lack of reliable connectivity.”
Connect Tararua Team Lead Sharon Wards and Mayor Tracey Collis recently met with National Senior Whip Barbara Kuriger at CD Field Days, to discuss the challenges faced by many isolated rural areas of the Tararua district.
“As a farmer working in a rural environment, Barbara really gets it,” Mayor Collis said. “And residents taking part in the Connect Tararua Survey will help Connect Tararua put together a strong business case to get the connectivity that the district deserves.”