Two thirds of New Zealand homes are connected to the Internet

Almost two-thirds (or 1 million) of New Zealand homes are connected to the Internet, according to survey results released by Statistics New Zealand. The Household Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Survey: 2006 shows that just over half the connections use broadband technology while the remainder are dial-up connections.

Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury have higher-than-average household broadband access, with Auckland having the highest, at 43.1 percent.

Almost 2.6 million people had personal use of a mobile phone. In the 15–24 year age group, 90.6 percent had personal use of a mobile phone.

In the 12 months to the December 2006 quarter, 69.0 percent (2.2 million) of New Zealanders used the Internet. Over 900,000 people made an online purchase, with those aged 25 to 44 years being the most likely to do so (38.9 percent).

The Household Use of ICT Survey also revealed that most people used the Internet to email, browse the web generally, and obtain information on goods and services.

The Household Use of ICT Survey is a sample survey of households in New Zealand and is conducted every two years. Available tables show results for items such as Internet security, mobile phone usage, Internet access types.