Wellington, Nov 30 NZPA - The 2025 Taskforce has drawn the ire of the Telecommunications Users Association, TUANZ, for suggesting the Government's ultra fast broadband initiative be put on hold.

"Sadly the taskforce seems to want to hold back the tide of the digital age," TUANZ chief executive Ernie Newman said.

The Government plan to invest $1.5 billion into ultra fast broadband over ten years is compared to Think Big projects of the past in the taskforce report.

The case for government involvement in further development of broadband technology was not apparent and the case of private sector failure in this area had not been articulated, the report said.

The taskforce recognised that the Australian government was investing considerable amounts of money in a similar project but there was also criticism of the quality of the decision making on that project too.

The taskforce also highlighted the apparent involvement of ministers in major decisions on the project. This was no best practice for a state-owned framework.

Mr Newman said ultra fast broadband required a leap of faith.

"Its impact cannot be predicted by any kind of cost benefit analysis. Yet the potential is very obvious to people with vision who see the enormous benefits that ICT and the internet have brought over the past years, and who can extrapolate this into the future with the addition of far higher speeds."

Many of the major benefits of ultra fast broadband would occur health care, education and environmental management. Business and leisure were but a part of the big picture.

"New Zealanders are fortunate that today's political leaders have the vision to foresee the future and take a bold step. The superficial criticism in this report should not deter their determination to upgrade New Zealand's connectivity for future generations," Mr Newman said.