Nikki Kaye, Associate Education Minister, has announced Jack Matthews has been reappointed as director for the Network For Learning (N4L) board. According to Kaye he will serve for a full three-year term. Kaye also announced the retirement of Martin Wylie, who has served on the board since 2012.

“Both Mr Matthews and Mr Wylie have provided strong leadership and guidance," Kaye says.

"Mr Wylie brought to the table considerable expertise in law, IT and telecommunications, and I'd like to acknowledge the contribution he has made over the past four years," she says.

N4L has now connected more than 2,300 schools across the country to its Managed Network, which provides schools with reliable internet, including uncapped data, web filtering, network security services and helpdesk support.

“The Government is investing more than $200 million in the N4L Managed Network, so that all state, state-integrated and partnership schools can have safe, secure and uncapped internet funded by the Crown," says Kaye.

“N4L is part of the Government's wider investment in school IT infrastructure. I recently announced the completion of the $280 million School Network Upgrade Project, which upgraded schools' internal ICT network infrastructure such as cabling and switches.

“Minister Adams also announced the completion of work laying fibre to school gates under the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) and Rural Broadband Initiative (RFB) programmes,” she says.

“Providing state-of-the-art infrastructure is crucial to helping schools make the most of digital technology for learning, and ensuring New Zealand has a world-leading, digitally-enabled education system,” Kaye says.

The rollout of the N4L Managed Network continues to run well ahead of schedule, with the remaining 5% of New Zealand's roughly 2,500 state, state-integrated and partnership schools expected to be able to connect by the end of 2016.