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Dear John, As spokesperson for the National opposition on Research Science Innovation and Technology it is a great opportunity to follow up on a few enquiries that I have had from constituents about the availability of Ultra Fast Broadband fibre connections in areas that are furthest from the Auckland CBD especially on the Pohutukawa Coast. It is good to note UFB Fibre is available in the area of Clevedon and will be introduced in Kawakawa Bay in the coming months. Despite my enquiries last year it remains clear and unfortunate that there are no plans for extending UFB fibre to Orere Point. Chorus has advised that it has no plans for commercially-funded (outside the CIP government funded programme) fibre expansion (on top of what has already been built) in these areas. I was told Orere Point was included in a previous bid amongst other areas to cover about 290 households for an estimated cost of approximately $2 million. However, the UFB fibre programme was fully committed to the level provided by the Government in 2017 and there is no further available funding for this area or others. We are told Orere Point is a ‘reasonably remote settlement’ as it is 12 kilometres by road from Kawakawa Bay and it is surrounded by a very hilly landscape. It seems reasonable that these factors increase the cost of improving broadband coverage particularly in the case of fibre, where costs depend on the distance of fibre laid. Is $2milllion so much? I am also told that areas around Orere Point as well as the settlement itself, were included in the rural broadband tender. However, operators seem reluctant to bid for installing and maintaining connectivity in areas like these. Apparently mid-density areas (e.g. lifestyle blocks and peri-urban areas) are a particular challenge for fibre networks. In these cases, wireless or mobile broadband is usually the most effective and cost-efficient option. Wireless broadband There is some good news that under the government Rural Broadband Initiative and Rural Capacity Upgrade initiatives, CIP has contracted for improved coverage and increased capacity broadband across the country which will be complete by the end of 2023. Apparently 854 households in the Papakura electorate will be covered by CIP-funded new coverage or improved speeds and reliability. However coverage is still poor in Whitford and there is an area along Kawakawa-Orere Point Road with poor or no broadband coverage. The Kawakawa-Orere Point Road area was included in the rural broadband tender, but as mentioned above, no bids were received from telecommunications operators to cover this area. Incidentally the Deputy Mayor of Auckland lives around here so working from home must be very difficult for him. Work with a local Wireless Internet Service Provider is going to be done to see if there is an alternative coverage option in this area that affects around 22 properties. There are congestion issues on the wireless broadband networks in Orere Point and outer Clevedon (where properties are not serviced by fibre or VDSL). I am advised that negotiations are still underway regarding capacity upgrades, which will hopefully see congestion in these areas sorted out with the use of current funding available for upgrades. If these capacity upgrades can get contractors to bid for them it will reduce the delay in fixing this problem. —Although funding from the Government is also short with over 40 households not covered within the funding envelope as bids were not received for coverage here in 2017. Stevenson’s Aggregates Drury Quarry Expansion Proposal I was interested to be invited to an information day last week by Stevenson Aggregates who are currently the company mining the Quarry just off Ararimu Road in Ramarama. The work is visible from the Southern Motorway. The information day sought to advise local politicians and communities about the new Quarry that is proposed to the north of the existing one. Stevensons’ representatives advise “The next 30 years are going to be transformational for Auckland. The population is set to surpass two million before 2040, which means more houses and better transport infrastructure like railways and safer roads will be essential. By 2048, the city’s population is predicted to grow to 2.3 million with official city estimates predicting that we could need to build 300,000 more homes before then. Aggregate and aggregate products are the building blocks for the city’s major construction projects, and, for almost a century, much of it has been sourced right here in Drury by Stevenson Aggregates. The section of the quarry that is currently active is nearing the end of its lifespan. We are now looking to continue work in the northern part of our site, which is already zoned Special Purpose – Quarry Zone in the Auckland Unitary Plan (operative in part).” If you are interested to look at their plans for the new Quarry there are information days on 26 and 27 March between 11am and 3pm at the Ramarama Hall, 13 Maher Road. Best wishes, Judith Hon Judith Collins
Hon Judith
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