Network for Learning (N4L) says it is making important progress in its delivery of two of the largest and most complex IT and public service projects in New Zealand.
The Crown-owned organisation’s upgrade of schools’ Wi-Fi equipment as part of the Equipment Replacement project, as well as their migration of schools to a brand new Managed Network, are both being rolled out to all eligible state and state-integrated schools and kura across Aotearoa.
N4L is now more than two-thirds of the way through (1700+ schools) delivering new, next generation wireless technology for Equipment Replacement, a component of the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) Te Mana Tūhono (TMT) programme. Approximately 2,500 school networks encompassing 17,000 switches and 48,000 access points will be replaced and will benefit from N4L’s ongoing support and management.
Meanwhile, the Managed Network Upgrade kicked off in February and will migrate all schools and kura over the next year. As at 24 June 2025, N4L has migrated 500 schools.
“N4L is providing the Crown with an efficient and cost-effective way to deliver infrastructure to schools at scale. Partnering with the MoE and the private sector (including global vendors, NZ IT and installer technology partners, and additional suppliers), they’re providing all schools with access to world-class technology that also improves the support capability N4L can provide. N4L’s work is reducing the burden on schools of managing technology, so they can focus on what’s most important: teaching and learning,” N4L said in a statement.
The new Wi-Fi infrastructure, critical to school operations and a key enabler in the modern learning environment, provides schools with a more seamless online experience through network standardisation and the latest RUCKUS Networks Wi-Fi technology boosts their network capability, capacity and resilience.
“This means faster speeds, fewer network disruptions, and more students able to use a range of digital tools at the same time, which can support important activities such as school online examinations, and help keep them interested and involved in class. Ultimately, the project is helping to better support digital equity and learning, as well as powering student achievement in New Zealand,” N4L says.
Silverdale School, a primary school 35 km north of Auckland with a roll of more than 660 ākonga and 75 staff, is just one of the schools to have benefited from the Equipment Replacement project. The school has a heavy reliance on technology, but was battling inconsistency in internet connection and speeds due to ageing access points, impacting their ability to fully utilise their digital learning tools.
“There was frustration,” says Silverdale School Principal, Cameron Lockie. “The kids would try to get onto their devices, and they’d get the spinning wheel of death and not be able to connect to the network. Our lessons get planned around using our Chromebooks, but if you can’t get onto the network, it becomes a frustration for everyone. It also means people aren’t using those important digital tools. It’s a significant financial expense for us to provide all our children with Chromebooks, so we can’t have them sitting in a cupboard gathering dust. We needed that network.”
Mr Lockie says some of the issues were due to the fast growth of the school and the previous hardware no longer being able to keep up and handle the load. In 2006, they had just 130 ākonga on the roll, but now, there are more than 660. Equipment Replacement customises network designs for each school, allowing for future growth and capacity requirements.
Silverdale School has 33 classrooms working on Chromebooks, and they’re now enjoying faster speeds and a much-improved performance and experience, along with N4L service and support. The school will also soon be migrated to N4L’s Secure Access – the next stage in TMT – which can help bolster schools’ security postures and is fast approaching the milestone of 1000 schools being onboarded to the service.
“For us, there’s more consistency. We don’t have the downs we had before,” he says. “In classrooms, it’s much better quality and it’s reliable.”
N4L CEO, Larrie Moore says N4L is proud to have made such great progress in delivering the Equipment Replacement project and Managed Network upgrades to schools.
“By delivering next generation technology, we’re helping ensure that – big or small, urban or rural – all schools can access faster and more reliable internet, a vital enabler for academic success. We will continue to do the hard mahi to equip schools with modern infrastructure, as well as delivering online safety and security expertise,” said Mr Moore.
Rob Campbell, Hautū Te Pou Rangatōpū | Deputy Secretary Corporate, Ministry of Education, says: “Access to digital learning is now a vital part of school life, and the Ministry of Education’s Te Mana Tūhono programme is providing schools with more reliable internet to further that objective. We know it’s essential for all schools to be able to provide ākonga with equitable learning opportunities, and that’s why this programme of work is so important.”
