NZ has the second cheapest internet in Oceania so why are 1 in 2 Kiwi households still paying so much for broadband?

New research on global broadband pricing by Cable.co.uk has found New Caledonia (USD 32.49, 72nd place globally) to have the cheapest broadband in the Oceania region, followed by New Zealand in second place (USD 50.81, 119th globally) and Australia (USD 53.93, 125th globally) in third.

However, a supporting statistic gathered through a new poll from NZ Compare shows that whilst the average priced broadband plan from the Cable.co.uk research shows a cost of around $82 NZD, almost 44% of respondents to the NZ Compare poll are paying over $85 a month for their internet connection.

Households which let their broadband deals lapse or don’t shop around at the end of their contracts will be paying significantly over the odds for their broadband bill as prices for a home internet connection have dropped considerably over the last 3 to 5 years.

Gavin Male, founder and CEO of NZ Compare commented, "We were hugely surprised by the results of our poll. It showed almost 44% of households are still paying over $85 a month for their internet connection, and another 28% paying between $75 and $85 a month. That is hugely frustrating for us here at NZ Compare. We know that so many Kiwi households are struggling to pay the bills and so many families could be saving literally hundreds of dollars a year if they took just 5 minutes to check and change their broadband plan. On the Broadband Compare website we have a number of fibre broadband deals at or around $60 per month. If those families spending $85 or more switched, they’d save at least $25 per month. That is a saving of $300 a year."

Quite staggeringly, almost 10% of Kiwis that switch broadband through NZ Compare are saving more than $400 a year by changing to a new provider and plan.

Male continues, "It pays for consumers to be savvy when it comes to their broadband bill. Prices in general have dropped over the last couple of years as more providers enter the market so there are a number of ways to reduce your broadband bill. Further savings possible through bundling other bills, like power, or getting some free perks. BroadbandCompare.co.nz lists all the providers and plans in New Zealand. Remember, you won’t just win on the price - you can often end up with better speeds, an improved router or other freebies."

Away from New Zealand, Kiwis should count themselves lucky on their internet cost whatever they are paying, the Cable.co.uk research highlights a number of other interesting broadband facts, including how the residents of Burundi, one of the smallest countries in Africa, are paying over $615 NZD a month for their internet connection! See the full Cable.co.uk report here.

The NZ Compare poll was completed by 1,323 respondents through the period of March 10th to 15th 2023 as part of the NZ Compare partnership with Neighbourly.co.nz.

About NZ Compare

NZ Compare ( www.nzcompare.com) operate a suite of comparison websites to help Kiwis make a fully informed choice on all their purchases, covering everything from Broadband to Power, Mobile phones to dishwashers and even groceries. NZ Compare sites are free to use and are visited by over 300,000 Kiwis every month.