Teenager bringing high-speed internet to Upper Hutt
A company run by a 16-year-old which has brought high-speed internet access to hundreds of households in the Hutt Valley that have been “forgotten" by the big telcos is expanding its services to other parts of the country in a bid to help more residents in isolated areas get connected.
Alex Stewart came up with the idea for his business, WombatNET, when he was 13 and staying at the remote settlement of Turakina Beach, near Whanganui. Older people would often ask the tech-savvy teenager for help with their digital devices, and he soon realised how many people in the area were grappling with the same problem – unreliable and slow internet access.
After doing some research, he discovered that while it was relatively straightforward to connect properties to the fixed wireless broadband network using radio waves transmitted by towers, large internet providers often seemed reluctant to do so because it could be more expensive than using cables. So Stewart decided to meet the need himself.
In early 2020, WombatNET put up its first tower on private land just outside Upper Hutt. Since then, the company has built another 10 around Mangaroa and Whitemans Valley.
With demand for the service growing quickly through online and social media marketing and word of mouth, and as more people began to work from home amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Stewart was struggling to juggle running a start-up with his school work.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Summer on the South Coast
Summer is here again! Fantastic weather beckoning all to get out and enjoy it.
So my request is, if you are cycling, running, walking on our beautiful south coast roads between Breaker Bay and Ohwiro Bay - please be courteous to all road users, even those of us stuck in cars.
The roads are scenic, but they are also narrow, with lots of blind corners. This makes it very difficult for faster moving traffic (cars) to pass slower moving traffic (cycles, walkers, runners). On a bad day this can result in frustrated cars making rash decisions to overtake - putting everyone in danger.
If you are enjoying the coast road on a cycle, and there are cars behind you, please do be considerate and pull over when you have a chance so that they can pass. "Hugging the left" does not really help on a narrow road with blindspots. Stopping is ideal.
If you are enjoying coast on foot, please be conscious of visibility and stay off the road where possible.
If you are enjoying the coast in a car, please be courteous to others - good will spreads, unfortunately so does selfishness.
Lastly - everyone watch out for penguins, they were here first but they don't read Neighbourly or road signs.
Happy and Safe summer everyone.
Loading…
