Photo: CHORUS
Chorus is again apologising for long wait times for fibre broadband connections as it deals with ongoing staff shortages.
The company, which is the country's main provider of telecommunications infrastructure, says in partnership with its service companies, it needs to recruit nearly 200 skilled technicians.
Some customers have been left waiting up to 10 weeks for their fibre installation, compared to its target time of 15 days when fully resourced, Chorus said.
The staff shortage was due to a number of factors, including immigration settings and a tight job market, Chorus said.
"We're working hard to reduce the time it takes to get customers connected to fibre, but this will take some time, and we'd ask for patience while we get this sorted," Chorus head of connect delivery Marcus Wofinden said.
"When you're short of people for all the work you must do, it's a constant balancing act."
Severe weather events meant Chorus redeployed team members to work on repairs, Wofinden said.
A "roving workforce" would be used to move technicans to areas experiencing the longest delays and Northland was the current focus, he said.
Retention of staff, increasing overall productivity and attracting new and previously employed technicans was the focus of Chorus' service companies.
The government had not yet finalised the exact criteria for skilled technicians on the immigration green list, he said.
