Want to help improve New Zealand's broadband?

New Zealand broadband testing company TrueNet is on the hunt for kiwis who are willing to be part of a national network measuring the broadband performance of our ISPs.

The company has been tasked by the Commerce Commission with gathering 400 volunteers, and while more are being added every day, over 200 are still required. The more people who volunteer, the better the spread of data between ISPs and locations around the country.

Volunteers don’t need to be techies, and the tests only take place when the volunteer’s connection is not in use, to avoid both disturbing their internet experience and distorting the results.

The biggest downside is the data usage, which can be between 1GB and 5GB per month, depending on how much the volunteer says they can spare.

John Butt, CEO of TrueNet, adds that employees of ISPs need not apply.

"[Volunteers] are still coming in at a good rate,” Butt says.

"At the moment I’m struggling with the process of getting them [testing boxes] out.”

TrueNet already publishes basic data from its current volunteers, selling more detailed data to ISPs that are interested in how their network is performing.

"Our intention is to be as open as possible,” Butt says.

Go here to find out more about becoming a volunteer.