This month Chorus launched its new Hyperfibre service across most of the country. How fast does it go? And what does it mean for New Zealand’s digital future? The Spinoff spoke to Kurt Rodgers, Chorus network strategist, to find out. OK, ‘Hyperfibre’. What is it? Simply put, Hyperfibre is ultra-fast – like, staggeringly fast – … Read more
When Covid-19 forced restaurants to shut, they had to find new ways to feed their customers. At Auckland’s Cotto, their take-home service remained popular even after they opened their doors again. Alert level three seems so long ago now, but I still remember that bone-deep relief as its announcement opened up the prospect of takeaways: … Read more
Two days before alert level four lockdown, Unity Studios was meant to open its doors for the very first time. First-time business owners Caitlin Day and Sophie Lax were forced to quickly become a virtual studio hosting classes and consults online. If you’ve never been on a Pilates reformer, the large machines look a bit … Read more
Whether to connect with friends and colleagues, catch up on news, or stave off the boredom with bingeable TV, we’ve all been on our devices a lot more than normal. Vodafone has released a summary of its traffic stats for the past six days, which compares phone calls, broadband, and mobile data use against the … Read more
In an impossibly crowded market, New Zealand beers are rightfully being recognised as some of the world’s best. According to one of the men behind Garage Project, that didn’t happen by accident. New Zealand grows some of the best hops in the world. New Zealand also brews some of the best beer in the world. … Read more
The first phase of New Zealand’s ultrafast broadband rollout came to a close at the end of 2019. Alex Braae takes a look back at the decade-long project that was UFB1. The thing about having an extremely fast internet connection is that it doesn’t take long to completely take it for granted. A perfect example … Read more
New Zealand leaves Australia for dust on internet speeds and our children are practically born using fibre, but major challenges lie ahead, writes Rohan MacMahon. Congratulations, New Zealand: three quarters of you now have ultra fast broadband (UFB). This week Chorus hosted an event at Parliament to mark the completion of Phase 1 of the … Read more
Otago-grown agricultural technology company Techion has cornered an international market. Its founder, Greg Mirams, explained how the internet of things and fast fibre broadband has transformed the way he does business. In a Dunedin bedroom in 1992, Greg Mirams invented Techion’s founding product: FEKPAKG2. It was developed to help local farmers test the effectiveness of … Read more
Napier-based women’s clothing company KILT is a big brand with local charm. Josie Adams finds out how they’ve adapted their boutique strategy to work on a national level. Having grown up in the internet era New Zealand fashion label KILT has developed a unique relationship with its customers via an online connection. Founded in 2003, … Read more
Russell Brown spoke to Dylan Haley about how he’s rejuvenating Gisborne’s film culture. Dylan Haley used to muse that he could do his work – creating poster and packaging art for film distributors – anywhere in the world. After all, he rarely saw his Hollywood clients in person anyway – the Los Angeles traffic made … Read more
From broadbeans to home wiring, the Spinoff and the Commerce Commission provide some essential tips on how to enhance your broadband performance. The internet is buzzy as. Think about it for a second. Inexplicable technology has the answer to every question you’ve ever had, held inside magic flying around in the sky, just waiting for … Read more
The UN has declared internet access a basic human right, but at-home internet remains out of reach for many struggling New Zealand families. Madeleine Chapman learns how the Spark Jump programme is attempting to bridge the digital divide. For most of last year, a Belmont family took regular visits to their nearest McDonalds. Not for … Read more
Critics are seizing on a new report that says the Ultra Fast Broadband rollout has had no direct impact on business productivity. But those who dismiss the scheme as corporate welfare are missing the big picture, says telecoms commentator Paul Brislen. I’ve had more arguments about broadband than just about anything else including (but not … Read more