Curran Clare: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Curran Clare: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 08 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6445. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
9. 
CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) 
 to the  
Minister for Communications and Information Technology 
: What percentage of New Zealand homes did the Government commit in 2008 would be connected to Ultra Fast Broadband within 10 years? 
Hon AMY ADAMS (Minister for Communications and Information Technology) 
: 
 To the best of my knowledge in 2008 the Government did not make a commitment as to what percentage of homes would be connected to ultra-fast broadband. To clarify for the member in 2008 the Government made a commitment to “drive the roll-out of a ‘fibre to the home’ ultra-fast broadband network.” to “… 75% of New Zealanders.” and we are delivering on that promise with over 100000 end-users now able to connect to fibre. 
Clare Curran 
: What was the target uptake rate for people connecting to and receiving services through ultra-fast broadband in year 1 and what was the year 1 actual uptake in percentage terms? 
Hon AMY ADAMS 
: I can tell that member that the target uptake rate across the build period in total is for final uptake to be in the realm of 40 to 45 percent and of that for households to be in the high 30s. We do not have uptake projections year by year but I can tell the member that it is the Government’s expectation that the uptake would build very slowly and gradually as the build progressed and that international experience tells us that uptake does not really start to take up until the network is more than half built. In regard to your question about the uptake numbers at the end of year 1 I do not have that in front of me but I can tell the member that at the end of the most recent quarter uptake numbers were 2445 users representing 2.4 percent of those built to date. 
Clare Curran 
: Does she agree with the Commerce Commission that the ultra-fast broadband network will have just 20 to 25 percent take-up by Kiwi households by 2019? 
Hon AMY ADAMS 
: That is not my expectation. 
Clare Curran 
: What is the Government’s latest target uptake for ultra-fast broadband by 2019 for Kiwi households connecting to and receiving services and has she consulted with network providers such as Chorus about this target? 
Hon AMY ADAMS 
: I think I answered that earlier but to repeat our expectation for uptake by Kiwi households to the end of the build period in 2019 is in the range of 30 to 37 percent. I think I said mid-30s before. We have consulted with the providers; that was a key part of the discussions in the lead-up to the signing of the contracts. 
Clare Curran 
: Does she stand by the Government’s 2008 election promise to have 75 percent of New Zealand homes connected to ultra-fast broadband in 10 years; if so how is she going to achieve that given just 0.18 percent of Kiwi households are actually connected to date? 
Hon AMY ADAMS 
: The member clearly does not understand the difference between how many households are connected and our commitment which is to build a network available to 75 percent of New Zealanders. That was our commitment and that is exactly what we are on track to do. 
Clare Curran 
: I seek leave to table a speech given by the Prime Minister although he was the leader of the National Party then on 22 April 2008 in which he clearly—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! This is a point of order. 
Clare Curran 
: —said: “Our initial goal is to ensure the accelerated roll-out of fibre right to the home of 75% of New Zealanders.” 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Clare Curran 
: I seek leave to table a newsletter by the Rt Hon Lockwood Smith dated September 2009 in which he said: “We want New Zealanders to have access to broadband at home work or school. National is delivering on its election promise to ensure ultra-fast broadband is available to 75 percent of New Zealanders over the next 10 years.” 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection—there is objection. 
Clare Curran 
: I seek leave to table the answer to an oral question by the Hon— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No no. We do not table answers to questions. 
Clare Curran 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Point of order Clare Curran. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! This habit of just tabling endless marginal documents is frustrating for the House but I recognise the member Clare Curran. 
Clare Curran 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Well please get on with it. 
Clare Curran 
: Thank you. I seek leave to table a report that states that— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! No. Order! The source of the report? 
Clare Curran 
: It is a report compiled by the Parliamentary Library— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Thank you. 
Clare Curran 
: —which clearly states that 2.4 percent of end-users are able to connect to ultra-fast broadband as of today— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! That is sufficient description of the document. Leave is sought to table the document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Clare Curran 
: I seek leave to table a report of the Commerce Commission the transcript of the unbundled copper local loop benchmarking review conference which quotes on page 166 Chorus’ expectation that 20 to 25 percent of people will be receiving— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Could we just check for the House whether it is page 166 or the whole document that the member is seeking to table? 
Clare Curran 
: I am seeking to table the whole document. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is the whole document. Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: In light of the percentages that the Minister offered the House earlier can she advise what percentage of marae kohanga reo kura wananga iwi runanga and Maori health and social service providers she expects to be connected to ultra-fast broadband within 10 years as a result of the negotiations with the Maori Party? 
Hon AMY ADAMS 
: Given the breadth of possible users that could fall within that definition I am not in a position to give an exact percentage but I can tell the member that all Maori health services and schools within the roll-out areas will have access by the end of 2015. The Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative programme will provide improved broadband services to Maori living in rural communities and thanks to our work with the Maori Party we have set up Nga Pu Waea who are focused on maximising the ability of Maori to connect to and benefit from the broadband roll-out.