Broadband spend to add 5b to economy, EDA - Broadband spend to add 5b to economy

New Zealand's ultrafast and rural broadband rollouts will pump an extra $5 billion into the GDP during their 20 year lifetime, according to an economic study.

The Alcatel-Lucent study claims the two massive public-private broadband projects - the $1.35 billion Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) and $300 million Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) - will add $5 billion to GDP over their 20-year life time.

Alcatel-Lucent is the incumbent network infrastructure partner at Telecom (where it's best-known for the XT rollout) and the spun-off Chorus.

Read more (National Business Review).

Hamilton will host the New Zealand round of the prestigious V8 Supercar Championship in the city for the fifth year in 2012. The inaugural race in April 2008 attracted 172,000 attendees plus 5,000 people associated with the running of the event. The event generated $28.3 million of new money into the local economy in the first year and is estimated to generate $156 million over the seven years that the event will run. Over 100,000 people annually visit New Zealand National Agriculture Fieldays held at Mystery Creek (10 minutes south of Hamilton), which is the largest agricultural event held in the Southern Hemisphere. Each year generates around $290 million sales. As the centre of the thoroughbred industry, Hamilton has an excellent racing venue at Te Rapa. A national trotting track is 15 minutes drive from Hamilton in Cambridge. Raglan is 40 minutes by road from Hamilton and home to one of the world’s longest left-hand surf breaks. Hamilton Zoo is home to over 600 native New Zealand and exotic animals, set in 25 ha of tranquil surroundings. Hamilton Gardens are a free, 58-hectare walk-able wonderland attracting more than 600,000 visitors a year. The natural resources surrounding Hamilton - including its forests, lakes, rivers, and mountains - provide opportunities for tramping, bush-walking, and other types of outdoor recreation. The borough of Hamilton was established on 27 October 1877 and Hamilton became a city on 13 December 1945. Hamilton’s Maori name is Kirikiriroa meaning long stretch of gravel. New Zealand’s longest river, the Waikato, flows for 16km through the city. Mild climate and moderate year round rainfall keep the city and surrounding area very green. Mean temperatures - 18C in January (summer) and 9C in July (winter). Hamilton has135 parks and gardens and 58 sports areas and more than 1,000 hectares of open space. Hamilton has 3 public swimming pools and over 55 kms of walkways in parks and reserves.