1056 days ago

Teenager bringing high-speed internet to Upper Hutt

Nicholas Boyack Reporter from Community News

A company run by a 16-year-old which has brought high-speed internet access to hundreds of households in the Hutt Valley that have been “forgotten" by the big telcos is expanding its services to other parts of the country in a bid to help more residents in isolated areas get connected.
Alex Stewart came up with the idea for his business, WombatNET, when he was 13 and staying at the remote settlement of Turakina Beach, near Whanganui. Older people would often ask the tech-savvy teenager for help with their digital devices, and he soon realised how many people in the area were grappling with the same problem – unreliable and slow internet access.
After doing some research, he discovered that while it was relatively straightforward to connect properties to the fixed wireless broadband network using radio waves transmitted by towers, large internet providers often seemed reluctant to do so because it could be more expensive than using cables. So Stewart decided to meet the need himself.
In early 2020, WombatNET put up its first tower on private land just outside Upper Hutt. Since then, the company has built another 10 around Mangaroa and Whitemans Valley.
With demand for the service growing quickly through online and social media marketing and word of mouth, and as more people began to work from home amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Stewart was struggling to juggle running a start-up with his school work.

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Poll: Are Kiwis bad drivers?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Each country has its own idiosyncrasies when it comes to driving and New Zealand is no different.
With daily near-misses, people incorrectly indicating at roundabouts and a lack of stopping at stop signs, it begs the question: Are Kiwis actually not that good at driving?

Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.

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Are Kiwis bad drivers?
  • 86.1% Yes, we are bad drivers
    86.1% Complete
  • 9.9% No way!
    9.9% Complete
  • 4% Other - I'll share below
    4% Complete
1163 votes
15 hours ago

Resene ColourShop Vouchers

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Resene has kindly gifted us $100 ColourShop vouchers to give away to five lucky Neighbourly members. The winners were randomly drawn and shared below!

Miranda Cooper from Sockburn

Taukiwaho Patara from Rotorua

Michael Ostrog from Dunedin

Sherryl Mance from Whangaparaoa

Joan Gaines from New Plymouth

Get in touch with our Helpdesk team before the 26th of March to claim your prize by heading here.

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1 day ago

Feel your best self in a serviced apartment

Shona McFarlane Retirement Village

Discover the ease and comfort of assisted living in a serviced apartment at Shona McFarlane Village.

Serviced apartment living gives you more time to embrace the things that bring you joy, while we take care of your housekeeping, home maintenance, a daily chef-prepared meal and more.

We currently have serviced apartments available now, priced from $395,000.

Call Lynda on 04 567 8725 to join our welcoming community today or click read more for more information.

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