What you’ll pay for gigabit fibre in New Zealand

Gigabit fibre broadband arrived in New Zealand in late 2016, giving customers access to download speeds far beyond the standard 100 Mbps connections common at the time. Prices quickly settled into a competitive range, with Vodafone, Spark, MyRepublic and other providers offering plans.

Early pricing across providers

When Chorus launched wholesale gigabit fibre, retail prices for consumers were typically between $120 and $140 a month. Prices were lower in Dunedin thanks to Chorus' Gigatown promotion which promised gigabit speeds at standard prices.

Vodafone’s offering started at $130 a month for a standalone connection, or $140 with a landline included. Other providers set their plans at similar levels.

Vodafone’s push into gigabit fibre

Vodafone was one of the first to promote gigabit fibre widely, pitching it as a service for households with multiple heavy internet users. At the time, Vodafone’s $130 price point undercut Spark’s equivalent gigabit plan by around $10. It was marketed as better value than MyRepublic’s $140 plan.

Value compared with standard fibre

For most households, 100 Mbps fibre was more than enough for streaming, video calls and online gaming. Gigabit fibre was aimed at enthusiasts, families with many connected devices, or people who regularly moved large files. In 2016, customers choosing gigabit paid around $30 to $40 more each month than those on 100 Mbps plans.

How the market shifted

Gigabit pricing has since fallen as wholesale costs dropped and competition intensified. What was once a premium, niche product has become the new standard. By the early 2020s, most fibre plans included gigabit speeds at little or no extra cost.

What to choose

Unless you have modest internet needs you should choose an unlimited data plan.

Here we’ve listed the headline prices. That is, what you can expect to pay every month for an unlimited 1Gbps service. These may differ from the prices you see advertised because some service providers offer discounted starting rates for a limited period at the start of a 24 month contract.

Prices are lower in Dunedin thanks to the Gigatown promotion. Some ISPs offer an unlimited gigabit plan in the city for $90 a month.

MyRepublic charges $60 for the first six months for customers signing a 24-month contract. Over the period of the contract the monthly fee works out at $105.

Orcon customers signing for 24 months get an Xbox One S.

There is a $50 installation fee at Bigpipe but no contracts.

Full Flavour is running a promotion where new customers pay only $100 a month for the first 12 months. There are no long-term contracts and installation is free.

Prices are complicated at 2degrees. A connection costs $95 a month, then you pay $45 for a 1Gbps “speed boost”. Customers signing for 24 months pay $60 a month for the first 12 months. The monthly cost over the full period of the contract works out at around $124 a month.