Skinny Jump: What a decade of data tells us
We partnered with Spark to explore ten years of data from Skinny Jump, its subsidised broadband programme.
"Internet is no longer a nice to have. It's how children learn, people find work, access healthcare and stay connected with their communities." Laurence Zwimpfer, Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa
"Internet is no longer a nice to have. It's how children learn, people find work, access healthcare and stay connected with their communities." Laurence Zwimpfer, Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa
Skinny Jump was built on a simple belief: no family should miss out because they cannot afford to get online. Over the past decade, it has grown from a small pilot supporting families without internet access into a nationwide digital inclusion programme.
It offers affordable prepaid broadband, a free modem and free monthly data, with no contracts or credit checks. A nationwide network of trusted community organisations helps people sign up and get connected.
Almost 100,000 households have accessed Skinny Jump since 2016, and around 39,000 are connected through the programme today. Between 13,000 and 16,000 new households have kept signing up every year since 2021, and the 2023 Census estimated that around 170,000 households were still without internet access.
The need for affordable connectivity hasn't gone away.
"Internet is no longer a nice to have. It's how children learn, people find work, access healthcare and stay connected with their communities." Laurence Zwimpfer, Operations Director and Trustee, Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa
What the data shows
- Affordability is still the biggest barrier. 32% of connected households use only the free 15GB monthly data allowance.
- Community-led delivery works. In 2020, community partners helped with 43% of sign-ups. By 2026, that had risen to 96%. People connect through organisations they already know and trust.
- Digital exclusion overlaps with other kinds of hardship. One in four households has more than one form of disadvantage recorded. As national unemployment rose from 3.4% to 5.6% between 2023 and 2026, unemployment's share of recorded disadvantage grew from 14% to 17%.
"Digital equity is not achieved through connectivity alone. It requires affordable services, trusted local support, and strong partnerships between communities, government, industry, and funders." The Skinny Jump team, Spark
Read the full Skinny Jump 10 Year Impact Data Report
Skinny Jump was built on a simple belief: no family should miss out because they cannot afford to get online. Over the past decade, it has grown from a small pilot supporting families without internet access into a nationwide digital inclusion programme.
It offers affordable prepaid broadband, a free modem and free monthly data, with no contracts or credit checks. A nationwide network of trusted community organisations helps people sign up and get connected.
Almost 100,000 households have accessed Skinny Jump since 2016, and around 39,000 are connected through the programme today. Between 13,000 and 16,000 new households have kept signing up every year since 2021, and the 2023 Census estimated that around 170,000 households were still without internet access.
The need for affordable connectivity hasn't gone away.
"Internet is no longer a nice to have. It's how children learn, people find work, access healthcare and stay connected with their communities." Laurence Zwimpfer, Operations Director and Trustee, Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa
What the data shows
- Affordability is still the biggest barrier. 32% of connected households use only the free 15GB monthly data allowance.
- Community-led delivery works. In 2020, community partners helped with 43% of sign-ups. By 2026, that had risen to 96%. People connect through organisations they already know and trust.
- Digital exclusion overlaps with other kinds of hardship. One in four households has more than one form of disadvantage recorded. As national unemployment rose from 3.4% to 5.6% between 2023 and 2026, unemployment's share of recorded disadvantage grew from 14% to 17%.
"Digital equity is not achieved through connectivity alone. It requires affordable services, trusted local support, and strong partnerships between communities, government, industry, and funders." The Skinny Jump team, Spark
Read the full Skinny Jump 10 Year Impact Data Report
Skinny Jump: What a decade of data tells us
We partnered with Spark to explore ten years of data from Skinny Jump, its subsidised broadband programme.
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