Most New Zealand homes can get fibre, and most retail providers sell plans over the same Chorus or local fibre company (LFC) network. That means the choice between providers mostly comes down to price, contract terms, data caps, support and bundles. The guides below cover each part of the decision.
Broadband Guides
- Broadband providers compared: published fibre plan prices, contract terms and data caps by provider
- Fibre broadband in NZ: speed tiers, installation and fibre versus copper or wireless
- Rural broadband in NZ: options where fibre isn’t available
- No-contract broadband: open-term plans and exit fees
- How to switch broadband providers: the steps and timing
- Broadband speed guide: what speed common activities need
Broadband Provider Reviews
Listed alphabetically.
- 2degrees Broadband Review NZ: owns Orcon and Slingshot
- BigPipe Broadband Review NZ: broadband only, no fixed term
- Electric Kiwi Broadband Review NZ: also sells power and mobile
- NOW Broadband Review NZ: independent provider
- One NZ Broadband Review: fibre and wireless home broadband
- Orcon Broadband Review NZ: part of 2degrees
- Skinny Broadband Review NZ: Spark’s lower-cost brand
- Spark Broadband Review NZ: New Zealand’s largest broadband retailer
- Starlink NZ Review: satellite broadband
- Voyager Broadband Review NZ: independent, New Zealand-owned provider
How NZ Broadband Infrastructure Works
Chorus (the main fibre network)
Chorus is New Zealand’s wholesale-only fibre network operator. It built and operates most of the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network and doesn’t sell to residential customers directly: it wholesales the network to retail providers.
Other Local Fibre Companies (LFCs)
In some regions, other fibre networks operate instead of Chorus:
- Enable: Christchurch city and some Canterbury towns
- Northpower Fibre: Whangārei area
- Tuatahi First Fibre: Waikato towns including Te Awamutu and Morrinsville
Most retail providers offer plans on the LFC networks as well as Chorus.
Retail Service Providers (RSPs)
Spark, One NZ, 2degrees, Skinny, Voyager, BigPipe, Orcon and the other brands you see advertised are RSPs: they buy capacity from Chorus or an LFC and sell it to consumers. The physical fibre connection to your home is the same whichever RSP you use.
Fibre Speed Tiers
Fibre is sold as Fibre 100, Fibre 500 and Fibre Max (about 1 Gbps), with Hyperfibre at 2 Gbps or more in some areas; the tiers were renamed in June 2025, when Fibre 50 became Fibre 100 and Fibre 300 became Fibre 500. What each tier suits is in fibre broadband in NZ, and what each provider charges for it is in broadband providers compared.