More people in New Zealand use the Internet, according to survey results of Statistics New Zealand. The statistics agency surveyed Internet service providers and discovered that broadband users in New Zealand used 50 per cent more data in June compared to the same month in 2012.

The average monthly usage of Kiwis also increased from 15 GB to 23 GB. Statistics New Zealand manager Hamish Hill said the increase in data usage was enough for users to watch streaming HD videos per hour on a daily basis with enough data to spare.

Statistics NZ said the survey results were based on residential and business accounts of broadband services with the former making up the majority of the numbers. Local Internet service providers are hoping to even out Internet usage between residential and business users in the coming years.

The survey found that 88 per cent of Internet users signed up for plans offering data speeds of at least 8 megabits per second or more. The current number of broadband users with high-speed plans is up from 69 per cent from June 2012. Four per cent of Kiwi Internet users were on plans with speeds of at least 100 mbps or higher.

The increase in speed was due to improvements in copper broadband infrastructure and the availability of high-speed cable and wireless services. The survey also included data from the first customers of the ultrafast broadband network backed by the government.

With more Internet service providers offering bigger data caps, more Kiwis are taking advantage of the valued offers.

More Internet users post videos online

In another survey from Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, the number of people posting videos online has doubled since four years ago. The poll found that 31 per cent of adult Internet users post videos online compared to only 14 per cent in 2009.

The Pew survey included videos on Twitter's Vine app which contributed to the increase of video uploads from Internet users. Previous data showed that posting videos was limited to male Internet users below 30 years old. The Pew poll found that the average adult male more likely to post videos is 50 years old and below.

The survey also found that nearly half of Internet users who post videos are fond of recording their pets. According to Pew Research, 45 per cent of adults post pet videos online. The videos usually contain footage of daily activities, funny things, concerts and sporting events.

The increasing number of videos posted online was spurred by the rise of the number of people who watch videos online. Pew reported that 78 per cent of adult Internet users like to watch online videos.