Estimates Debate — Vote Communications

I am very keen to take a call briefly to talk about how the Government has been progressing with its policies on communications, information technology, and broadband, in particular. In the last 2½ years we have tackled one of the most ambitious communications projects that has been seen not only in this country but also throughout the OECD. We are delivering ultra-fast fibre-to-the-home broadband to 75 percent of homes and businesses around this country, while, at the same time, also vastly improving broadband infrastructure and connection speeds in rural areas.

We have set up this company called Crown Fibre Holdings, which has now itself set up four large public-private partnerships for the ultra-fast broadband initiative. We have also set up another one for the rural broadband initiative. These competitively tendered arrangements have ensured a very cost-effective build price for taxpayers, and, most important, very competitive wholesale prices for consumers while using the expertise of established companies in the sector.

We have also further developed the regulatory model for the sector to encourage more competition. One of the outcomes of the ultra-fast broadband initiative is that Telecom is to split itself into two separate companies, and of those two companies one will own the monopoly infrastructure and one will own the retail business. This will create a much more level playing field for all telecommunications retailers, and encourage further innovation and price competition. It is a step beyond the previous model for the industry.

We have also set up a new telecommunications development levy, which I think is very important as that will fund rural broadband. It will also fund emergency services legislation going forward, and other telecommunications service obligations. So the results have been pretty good actually, and we have now set up the framework. The roll-out plans are being finalised, deployment has started in different locations around the country, and attention is turning to maximising the uptake and taking advantage of all the benefits that ultra-fast connectivity will bring.

We are working very hard with a five-point action plan to realise the economic, social, and productivity benefits of much faster broadband. They have five focuses. E-education is very important, making sure we get the benefits of the education sector. We will have 99.7 percent of New Zealand students linked together with fibre connectivity at school, so making sure that the school sector is in a good position to take advantage of that is very important indeed.

The e-health initiatives are very important, and they are becoming more exciting rather than less over time as the sector starts to think about the potential in the health area. I am talking about things like remote diagnostics, particularly remote monitoring of chronic patients, and the ability for specialists to view remotely quite detailed data such as scans—I think this has huge potential—as well as the general shifting of information around between the different elements of the health sector. The more we can do in people’s communities, particularly in the rural communities, then the less travel they have to do, which also helps with their health outcomes.

E-government is very important, and we are making very strong initiatives there right across the Government sector. There is all sorts of work under way to ensure we get a better relationship and, I think, better customer services from the Government for the citizens who use those services. In one of my own areas, in transport, a lot of work is being done to see how we can best take advantage of the opportunities there.

E-business will, I believe, be one of the more immediate outcomes of the improvements in broadband infrastructure, with the business sector already saying that it will take up the opportunities very quickly. Of course, the early focus is rolling out broadband through those business sectors.

Finally, there is what we call e-development, which is as much also an e-regional - development story. We have Ngā Pū Waea, of course, involved to ensure the iwi and Māori development goes ahead well, and we have also lots of involvement with local councils as they seek to gain, if you like, leverage and opportunity for their citizens.

On top of that, we are taking advantage of the switch-over from analogue to digital television, and the Government is looking forward to the potential there with the fourth-generation digital spectrum. We also have announced this year the National Cyber Security Centre, as well, which is an important part of making sure we get all the benefits of this technology going forward.

Vote agreed to.

Vote Tertiary Education