Andrew von Dadelszen Former Regional Councillor

What a wonderful city we have in Tauranga – yet it could still be so much more. I've lived here for 29 years; and watched what was a village, turn into a modern city.

In the 1980s computers had arrived, but the Commodore 64 was top of the range. Today this city boasts Ultra Fast Broadband, but most are yet to connect to it.

Being an ‘early adopter' I took the first opportunity to go UFB, which is actually only three times faster than before, and definitely wouldn't or couldn't go back!

Tauranga now has a completed UFB network, and 26 per cent of capable households and businesses have connected to it. This is the third highest connection rate throughout New Zealand. The Government has set an aspirational connectivity target that would see 99 per cent of New Zealanders able to access peak broadband speeds of at least 50 Megabytes Per Second by 2025. Today, my UFB is around 30Mbps, and I look forward to even faster, affordable speed.

Ultra Fast Broadband is a game-changer for our city. This city has long been known for its sunshine hours and its wonderful beaches, but it is UFB that will allow our young, upwardly mobile families to realise they can live in blissful relaxation, and still be connected to a global economy. They are finally coming here in droves, and the challenge now is to ensure our city doesn't lose its competitive advantages. Past mayors like Bob Owens and then Noel Pope ensured our infrastructure preceded predicted growth, by pre-investing in the likes of our harbour bridge and Route K. This is a wonderful city – now let's all ensure we have the vision to retain and build on that magic.

If you have a view on these or any other local government issues, I invite you to email me at andrew@vond.co.nz or visit www.vond.co.nz