WombatNET

28/05/2026

27/05/2026

For thirty years, New Zealand has been building rural connectivity in layers. Fibre. Fixed wireless networks. Mobile coverage. Copper, where it still runs. Local providers who turn up when something breaks. Redundancy, fallback, options.

That layered model is dissolving onto a single foreign-owned satellite service, fast.

The service has been a game changer for many rural users. That's important to acknowledge.

What's worth asking alongside is what it means for the country to lose those layers. If the satellite service is restricted, changes its terms, becomes unaffordable, or fails for any reason, what does rural New Zealand fall back on? Who is responsible for thinking about that? And what work has actually been done?

The Commerce Commission's independent expert flagged the risk last year. The relevant agencies have not done the analysis. The Minister holds advice but won't release it.

Disclosure: WombatNET is a regional wireless ISP. Starlink is a direct competitor. But the question is way bigger than that.

Rural New Zealand risks relying too heavily on one satellite internet provider, the government is being warned.

27/05/2026

If you live or work in rural New Zealand, here's a fair question you might ask. What is the country's plan if your internet stops working?

For a growing share of rural households, schools, farms, marae, and small businesses, the answer is increasingly one service. A single foreign-owned satellite provider. School broadband. Farm compliance reporting. Telehealth. Civil defence coordination. Daily life.

For many people, that service has been a step up, which is important to acknowledge.

The question worth asking is what happens if it fails, is restricted, becomes more expensive, or simply changes its terms. And who has actually done the work to think about that?

The Commerce Commission's independent expert flagged the risk in October last year. Sixteen of the seventeen substantive Official Information Act questions we put to the Commerce Commission and MBIE on this came back blank. The Minister holds advice on it but has declined to release it.

Rural New Zealand deserves that work to be done.

Disclosure: WombatNET is a regional wireless ISP. Starlink is a direct competitor. But the question is so much larger than that.

Rural New Zealand risks relying too heavily on one satellite internet provider, the government is being warned.

27/05/2026

From Alex's segment on RNZ Midday Rural News today, on Starlink and the risks rural New Zealand faces as technology shifts and platforms consolidate onto foreign-owned satellites.

19/04/2026

Heads up for our WombatWireless X customers in Whitemans Valley and Mangaroa. MetService has heavy rain forecast from Monday afternoon through to Tuesday evening.

Heavy rain can occasionally cause brief dropouts on some wireless links. Being the start of a workweek, if you've got any meetings or client calls locked in, it's worth keeping a mobile hotspot or dial-in option handy just in case.

We'll be watching the network closely and jumping on anything that looks off. If something isn't right at your end, flick us a message, and we'll check it out.

- Your team at WombatNET

09/04/2026

What's your no power plan? 🤔 💡
⛈️Severe weather like what is forecast for the North Island on Sunday, can extensively damage power lines, poles and other equipment – cutting supply to customers and communities for potentially days.

To help you get through, prepare now:
📱Make sure you fully charge your devices and consider having a spare battery or mobile power pack.
🔦Keep a torch, battery-powered lantern and spare batteries handy.
🫗Have a supply of emergency water (consider your animals needs too)
🔥Make sure the gas is topped up for your BBQ or camping stove. That way you can continue to prepare hot food for your family.
🚑Medically dependent on power? Check with your doctor and your energy retailer (the company you pay your power bill to) to ensure your back up plan is up to date.
🔌Protect electronics with surge devices.
⚡If you run a business, consider a back-up generator as part of your business contingency planning. Then, even if the power is out, you can keep operating as usual.
🚗Know how to override your garage door.

🚨Putting away outdoor furniture, securing any loose debris, and tying down your trampoline is also important before high winds arrive, so they don’t take flight and hit power lines.

👀Keep an eye on MetService New Zealand for the latest watches and warnings. We are continuing to monitor the situation and have extra crews on standby.

👉🏼It’s important to remember that in severe weather it takes time to reconnect all affected customers. It’s dangerous for crews to climb poles in high winds so, for their safety, they may not be able to fix faults until the weather calms. And, if there’s trees down over lines or roads closed because of flooding, it can be difficult for crews to quickly assess what needs to be done to fix damaged equipment. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Find out more: https://www.powerco.co.nz/news/media/customers-urged-to-prepare-for-power-outages-ahead-of-cyclone

We'll be working with Civil Defence Emergency Management across the motu. Keep an eye on their pages for updates:
Bay of Plenty Civil Defence
Civil Defence Waikato
Thames-Coromandel District Council
Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management
Civil Defence Manawatū Whanganui
Wellington Region Emergency Management Office

27/03/2026

Heads up: overseas scam texts are doing the rounds again

If you've recently received a text saying your traffic or court fine is overdue and threatening enforcement action, you're not alone.

These are fake, and there's a new wave of them going around right now.

The links go to scam websites designed to steal your details or payment info.

Don't tap the link. Don't reply.

But before you delete it, here's one quick thing you can do to play your part in helping shut these campaigns down.

Copy and paste the scam message into a new text to 7726.

That's the Department of Internal Affairs spam reporting line; it's free and works on any phone on any network.

The DIA uses these reports to help identify, block and investigate campaigns targeting New Zealanders, so every report counts.

It's worth knowing: the "report junk" button on your phone only tells Apple or Google. It doesn't send any information to the DIA.

We've popped a link below with step-by-step guides for both iPhone and Android if you want to see exactly how it works.

https://www.dia.govt.nz/Spam-Report-TXT-Spam

We know these texts can catch many of us off guard from time to time, and they're especially tricky for people who might not know what signs to look out for.

If you've got older family members, parents, grandparents, or neighbours, it's worth having a quick chat with them about what to be mindful of.

Feel free to share this post with someone you think might find this information useful.

If you're ever unsure whether a message is legit, give us a call. We're happy to help out.

https://www.dia.govt.nz/Spam-Report-TXT-Spam

15/02/2026

Service Alert: Mobile Broadband Outage, Upper Hutt and Hutt Valley

One NZ is currently experiencing a loss of rural 4G and 5G mobile coverage across the wider Wellington and Hutt Valley area. This has been under investigation since 11pm last night, with no ETA for a fix yet. If you have other means to access the internet, you can view live outage status updates at https://one.nz/help/network-status/

This is affecting WombatNET customers on 4G and 5G broadband services that rely on the One NZ mobile network.

This isn’t something we can fix from our end, but we’re keeping an eye on things, and will update here as we receive updates and/or service is restored.

If you need to get in touch, email is your best bet: [email protected] (we’re having our own problems connecting as well).

^AS

15/02/2026

As it starts to bucket down, here's a quick heads up for our customers across Wellington. As many will already know, MetService has a severe weather warning in place, with the worst expected from around 8pm tonight through to Monday morning. Severe gale southerlies gusting up to 130 km/h, with heavy rain especially about the eastern hills.

Wind on its own doesn't affect our network much, but trees taking down power lines can cause power cuts to transmitter sites (though backups are in place). We're flagging an increased chance of disruptions between 8pm tonight and around 5am Monday.

We'll be keeping an eye on things and will jump on any issues as fast as we can. If something looks off on your end, flick us a message and we'll check it out.
Stay safe out there, and tie down anything that could go airborne if you haven't already, while you still can!

- Your team at WombatNET

12/02/2026

Seven years ago, I started WombatNET because communities in the rural Manawatu were told they'd need to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars themselves if they wanted any connectivity at all - no fibre, no wireless, nothing unless they paid for it.

Last month, I was in Parliament explaining how those same communities face losing their local alternatives as foreign satellite companies price domestic providers out of the market.

Read more on what I told the Economic Development Committee about capital access, infrastructure resilience, and how the government investigates dumping when it affects peaches but not telecommunications:

Wellington ISP warns Economic Development Committee that domestic rural connectivity providers face elimination as foreign satellite companies dominate regional markets.

12/02/2026

The 2025 Wellington Gold Awards