NZ Compare is proud to announce Primo as a finalist in the Making a Difference Award.
NZ Compare’s Annual Awards celebrates excellence and innovation in New Zealand across a range of telecommunications, utilities and finance industries. Primo has been selected as a finalist for NZ Compare’s Making a Difference Award. This award acknowledges the pioneers and leaders who are making a positive change in communities and inspiring others to follow their example. It is a tough time for Kiwis. So it is important that we celebrate those who are making steps to help communities and individuals.
Primo leads the way in connecting the people of Taranaki with wifi and internet access through an innovative, wellbeing-focused approach that comes from a place of human empathy.
Who is Primo?
100% Taranaki owned and operated, Primo is a telecommunications company known for providing Fixed Wireless Broadband, Fibre Broadband and Mobile Plans. Their business is constructed upon the foundations of customer service, employee welfare and professional excellence. They have made many actionable steps to alleviate the internet-access disparities amongst diverse socio-economic communities, particularly in the Taranaki region.
How are They Making a Difference?
Primo has strived to lead the way with innovation in the telecommunications industry in New Zealand. Emboldened by an ethos that gives back to the community, they have instigated and fostered an array of initiatives.
Through Primo, over 100 charitable organisations use free or low-cost broadband services. Primo It Forward is another initiative that has run for the past 8 years, providing three families each year 12 months of free broadband - and half price for the second year.
They have established community education such as the Wi-Finding workshops for high school students in conjunction with Massey University under Curious Minds.
One of their most notable initiatives is the Te Whatu Ora Taranaki. This has provided Free Primo Wifi to the staff and patients at both Taranaki Base and Hāwera Hospitals for the past six years. This idea came from Primo’s Top Dog, Matthew Harrison who spent considerable time in the hospital before, during and after his diverticulitis diagnosis, using $3000 worth of internet data to keep his business up and running while he was bound to the hospital walls. He and his Primo team worked closely with the former Taranaki DHB’s IT department to come up with a solution that would overcome the building made of concrete and steel, so that anyone within the Base and Hāwera hospitals could access free wifi.
Since the launch in December 2017, Matthew said, “I hope at the very least, this will enable communication with families, friends, and loved ones during their stay.” Patients can now connect with their loved ones while they recover in hospital, without having to pay for their own data or usage.
How Can We See Primo’s Positive Change?
Connectedness is a crucial and ever-important part of modern society. For those most vulnerable, it is more vital than ever that they have access to connection. Free Wifi for the Taranaki community in these two hospitals has created a deep emotional impact for those in need. Reliable, high-speed, wifi means different things for individuals depending on the circumstance. Some may feel relief that the internet can alleviate some of the isolation that often comes with hospitalisation, connecting them to their loved ones and allowing them to stay up to date on current events. Some may feel simple happiness and joy at the ability to stream, make video calls and scroll through social media – relieving boredom that may come with being in the hospital for long periods. Free, accessible wifi enables people to continue work or studying, preventing anxiety and frustration, and reducing the chance of them falling behind.
Primo has taken great pleasure and enjoyed the warm fuzzies that have come along with wonderful, heartfelt feedback and thank you messages from hospital staff, patients and families. Many of them have expressed their gratitude, and the difference the Primo Wifi has made in their experiences with hospitals. From relieved isolation, to the ability to study or simply letting kids stream their favourite show, Primo has seen a positive impact in their free wifi initiative on the people of Taranaki.
The Positive Change in Our Backyard
Connecting vulnerable individuals and communities to the digital world means that they are not left behind. Primo’s mission to give back to local communities, through local action, helps to fight disparities amongst socio-economically disadvantaged groups and ensures that everyone can stay connected to loved ones, their studies, and work, while they are recovering in a typically isolating environment. This uplifts staff, patients and families during a challenging time and works towards nourishing a more positive community wellbeing.
NZ Compare are proud to announce Primo as a finalist in the Making a Difference Award. NZ Compare takes pride in making a positive difference in the everyday lives of Kiwis.
If you or someone you know is making a difference, be sure to enter the 2024 Awards.