Chorus : Drury home to Chorus’ first purpose-built fibre-only exchange

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As demand for high-speed internet continues to increase, the exchange provides fit-for-purpose fibre broadband for households and businesses moving into Drury. The exchange has been designed specifically to support the future needs of a rapidly transforming region - delivering sustainable energy use, reduced carbon emissions, stronger resiliency to extreme weather events and the capacity to scale in line with population growth and economic activity. "Drury is being built for the future, and having future-ready digital infrastructure in place from day one is a critical part of that," says Marcus Wofinden, General Manager of Network Operations at Chorus . "This exchange connects Kiwis with faster, more resilient internet for their everyday essential needs, while giving long-term confidence for businesses, developers, the council and infrastructure partners that connectivity will scale as the area grows." Historically, Chorus exchanges housed copper-based telephone and broadband equipment and connected local homes and businesses to the national network. Fibre was added over time as demand grew for the technology. "Our first exchange built for fibre marks a defining moment in the transition away from copper. The move signals a shift towards modern, more efficient and scaleable infrastructure that supports what Kiwis are doing online today, as well as anticipates the opportunities high-speed connectivity will unlock in the years ahead," adds Wofinden. The old Chorus exchange building at Drury needed to be moved to make way for the realignment of State Highway 1 (SH1) and the Drury southbound on-ramp as part of the SH1 Papakura to Drury (P2D) project, currently being constructed by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). A new exchange building was built in agreement with Chorus by the P2D project. "Completing the replacement building was a milestone for the P2D project, providing an opportunity for Chorus to upgrade their facility as part of the move. NZTA was pleased to work in collaboration with Chorus to make this happen for Drury," says Stephen Collett, NZTA Regional Manager of Infrastructure Delivery. Supporting South Auckland's fibre-future Demand for fibre connectivity in and around Drury has grown steadily in recent years, consistent with national trends towards greater data use and growing reliance on digital infrastructure to support evolving online habits. Average monthly data usage in the area has increased from 515GB in February 2020 to 787GB in February 2026, which is over 50 per cent in just six years. Over the same period, the area's fibre uptake has grown from 62 per cent to 73 per cent, while average download speeds across fibre connections have almost tripled to 565 Mbps. These trends reflect how South Auckland households and businesses are using more data at higher speeds and relying on connectivity as an essential part of everyday life. With no copper to maintain, the exchange is more sustainable to run, more resilient in weather events and serves a much larger footprint across South Auckland. This is particularly important in Drury, which is set to be one of New Zealand's largest growth corridors given new housing, transport links, commercial zones and industrial precincts are being developed at scale. ENDS Notes to the editor: Chorus operates around 600 exchanges across New Zealand. These are buildings that house the equipment powering local fibre and copper connections. Most homes and businesses are within 10km of an exchange, meaning nearly every major town or suburb has one nearby, typically located close to main streets or shopping areas. Many of these sites, along with around 200 smaller facilities, previously only supported copper-based phone and broadband services.

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