Located on the volcanic Mamaku Plateau under the Horohoro Cliffs 15 km southeast of Rotorua, the Kearoa Marae and local community had limited internet connectivity, which compounded the isolation of individuals and impacted the sense of community in the area. 

 

To overcome these connectivity challenges, NPeW contracted Mb3 to create a local network with internet connectivity using the fiber connection to the local Horohoro school. This new network not only serves the marae and the people who use it regularly, but also provides a host of connectivity benefits including a community hotspot, connectivity to support education groups visiting the marae, real-time monitoring of local micro-hydro electricity generation, as well as oxygen levels in the local river for an environmental program.

 

For the people who frequently use the Marae, the connectivity allows them to connect and communicate among each other and the wider community, organise meetings and social gatherings, as well as digitising the community heritage to make it available to a worldwide audience.

 

The Marae also host school groups for overnight stays, providing immersive experiences to share their local history and heritage, as well as learning about and contributing to local environmental initiatives including sensors for monitoring oxygen levels in the river, a key to understanding the environment that surrounds the marae. Can service over a 100 users a day – especially when groups are staying at the marae, allowing school groups to connect to families through online services and social media.

 

A dedicated access point supports a free hotspot in the village providing connectivity for visitors passing through. 

 

 

Key facts:

 

Mb3 services:               Consult, plan, install and maintain Kearoa Marae network

System uptime:            >4 Years – installed 2016

Other nodes:                Kohanga Reo – (Maori immersion kindergarten) 

                                      3 Access points PTMP link

Carrier network:          1km 5Ghz line-of-sight connection from the local school fibre terminal to Ubiquiti Access point radio on the                                             roof of the wharekai.

Power source:              Mains utilising power generated by river system.

Deployment network:  4 access points around the Kearoa Marae, capable of supporting 30-50 devices concurrently.  

                                      System is supports mesh networking.