Ultrafast Broadband to Martinborough……7 yrs or 20yrs away?

Martinborough is not on the current Government program for providing Ultrafast Broadband (UFB or Fibre) that finishes in 2019. We do have fibre into the main Chorus exchange, to the Martinborough School( including Dublin St from the school to the intersection with Jellicoe St) and the Pinot Grove subdivision.

The National government has made an pre-election pledge to inject up to $210 million”  dollars more into their UFB program but has yet to decide the policy framework that would ultimately determine who gets the benefits of the extra investment.

There is probably a 6 month window of opportunity for towns and communities who missed out in the first round to prepare for and lobby for inclusion in this next round. Martinborough is well placed if we do the work and engage politicians and officials from early next year.

If we are successful we will have fibre to all premises in Martinborough within 7 years. If we are not successful then fibre will only be laid where Chorus see a profit and that will mean more like 20 years.

A number of us( including Martinborough School and Martinborough Business Association) have been thinking about next steps and consider it vital that we include representatives from all sectors and interest groups whose future success will depend on high speed broadband in a full day facilitated workshop about mid February 2015.

Sectors and Interest groups are likely to include, farming, tourism, wine and olive growing and marketing, education, consulting practices, medical and community services, parents and families, businesses…..etc reflecting all who choose to live and work in our unique part of the world.

The objectives of the workshop will be three fold

• to bring all present to a common understanding as to how people in our community are currently using broadband and how they are likely to use it in 5 to 10 yrs

• to create a high level business case statement that can be used to make our case to govt for our inclusion in the next UFB funds allocation

• to generally agree how we organise to go forward.

There may be high value in engaging more widely in the Wairarapa once we get our own thinking straight.
Already there is a powerful coalition of like minded people and initiatives centred on the Martinborough School, the Town Hall Community Centre development and the Martinborough Medical Centre who need the investment in Fibre to succeed.

The case for Martinborough being included in the next UFB funding allocation must be made from a much wider base to be successful and we need to urgently identify individuals, communities of interest and sectors of business and community services who have a serious interest in joining the revolution to get fibre to Martinborough.

Please contact me at timlusknz@gmail.com if you are one of those people or business/community/interest groups. Tim Lusk Grey Street Martinborough