Schools don\u2019t have to pay anything for the Managed Network upgrade, which began in March. It is fully funded by the Ministry of Education.<\/p>\n
2degrees and Palo Alto Networks in, Spark and Fortinet out<\/p>\n
Late last year, N4L announced it had selected 2degrees and the multinational Palo Alto Networks \u2013 whose directors include Sir John Key \u2013 as key partners to upgrade managed network services for 2542 schools. That is, nearly every state and state-integrated school in the country.<\/p>\n
2degrees and Palo Alto Networks displaced incumbents Spark and Fortinet, respectively, after winning competitive tenders for two separate contracts that run through to 2031.<\/p>\n
“We’re taking full ownership and direct control for the first time” – N4L CEO Larrie Moore25% of NZ\u2019s daytime internet traffic<\/p>\n
They\u2019re big contracts for a big network. N4L says the 900,000+ teachers and students on its network account for 25% of New Zealand\u2019s daytime internet traffic.<\/p>\n
Discover more<\/p>\n
Schools\u2019 data consumption had increased at a rapid clip with the rise of online learning tools, video and now AI. In the year to June 30, 2020, schools used a total 42.42 petabytes of data (1 petabyte is 1 million gigabytes – so that\u2019s the equivalent of downloading about 40 million movies via Netflix). For the year to June 30, 2025, that had increased by 50% to 62.44 petabytes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re proud to support N4L in delivering reliable, high-performance connectivity to schools across the motu” – 2degree CEO Mark Callander.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge deal for us,\u201d a 2degrees insider told the Herald.<\/p>\n
How huge? None of the parties will say, citing commercial confidence.<\/p>\n
Moore will only say the contracts are worth \u201cmillions\u201d.<\/p>\n
But to give an idea of the scale of N4L\u2019s operations: in its 2024 financial year, the Crown firm received $56.7 million in \u201cexchange income\u201d (that is, paid directly by the Ministry of Education on behalf of schools) for \u201cthe provision of core network services to schools, provision of licence upgrades, equipment replacement for school Wi-Fi networks, and various cyber security services\u201d to schools.<\/p>\n
N4L was created in 2012 after the Government realised many schools needed help getting connected to and managing new broadband connectivity under the recently started Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) fibre rollout. In 2019, it expanded to offer managed Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n Under N4L\u2019s third and again expanded iteration, Moore says Palo Alto Networks is \u201cdelivering [the] next generation of on-premise firewalls, along with advanced cyber security and web filtering services\u201d.<\/p>\n 2degrees will provide internet services and enable N4L to operate as a virtual Internet Service Provider (ISP). This will allow N4L to manage internet service delivery directly, for the first time, while still utilising 2degrees\u2019 infrastructure for connectivity, Moore says.<\/p>\n The telco was also handling Starlink upgrades at rural schools (like One NZ and Spark, 2degrees is a reseller of the business-grade version of Elon Musk\u2019s satellite broadband service, which comes with super-sized dishes).<\/p>\n Silicon Valley-based Palo Alto Networks (market cap: US$129 billion or $217b) has grown strongly over the past two years, in a world grappling with a range of new technologies and threats.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve embedded AI [artificial intelligence] massively at Palo Alto Networks. But on the other side of the coin, all the bad actors have it,\u201d Key told the Herald this week.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we live in a world which is totally online, digital security becomes more and more critical.\u201d<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a>Upgrade \u2018in a single afternoon\u2019<\/p>\n Wellington\u2019s Island Bay School, a primary school with 340 students on its roll, is one of the schools to have been upgraded. Principal Deborah Fenton says the process was quick and easy, with little or no disruption to school operations.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the day, there was very little impact on us, so N4L did a really good job,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe upgrade happened in a single afternoon. N4L knew the times of day we needed to do important things, so they were able to flex to our needs and choose the most insignificant time of the school day to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Fenton says she also values the safety and security solutions N4L delivers, which offer an excellent level of protection for Island Bay School and its students.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest things that N4L provides is helping protect our \u0101konga [students] from accessing things like websites and social media, which is a really amazing service to have in a school. Helping us keep kids protected is the number one thing N4L does really well.\u201d<\/p>\n New threats<\/p>\n Things haven\u2019t been so rosy everywhere.<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\nPalo Alto Networks NZ country manager Misti Landtroop, director Sir John Key and Palo Alto regional VP Steve Manley. “We’re proud to partner with N4L to roll out the new Managed Network to schools across Aotearoa. By delivering our next-generation firewall, cybersecurity technologies and web filtering, we’re providing a robust platform that enables safer, more efficient digital learning environments for students and educators nationwide,” Landtroop says. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n
Deputy principal Jacqui Innes with pupils at Island Bay School \u2013 the Wellington primary school that was one of the first to get N4L’s new Managed Network upgrade.<\/p>\n