Hauraki District Council is partnering with Smart City NZ to trial one of their smart benches in Paeroa this summer.

The smart bench will be installed in the Paeroa quad in front of the iSite this week for the community to try for three months.

The Smart Bench 1500 Ultra is powered by solar energy and stores energy for days where there is no sunshine and during the night. With USB charging ports and a WI-FI hotspot, the bench also measures temperature, air pressure and humidity.

'This trial is really about trialling the technology, if it is used and looked after, it could be something we will see more of in all of our towns,” says Mayor Toby Adams.

'I see the bench being a hit with our youth, but also encourage visitors to sit and recharge their phones and themselves, and perhaps stay a little longer.”

Smart City NZ's mobile app shows the nearest smart bench and real time data from sensors. In order to connect to the free WI-FI Internet, a landing page is opened.

'The cost of the free WI-FI is answering a couple simple questions, ‘Do you like the bench?' and ‘Would you like to see more in our district?' when you get to the landing page," says Adams.

The smart bench will be in front of the iSite from early December through to March 2023.