A Bay of Plenty school is one of the first three schools nationwide to benefit from the government's ultra-fast broadband project.

Te Kura o Omaio in the Eastern Bay joins Henderson Valley School in West Auckland and Granity School on the West Coast as the first to be connected.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says these connections are about taking the first steps to transforming these schools and learning environments.

'With faster connections, these students will now be able to use the very latest learning online programmes,” says Anne.

'They'll use high definition video conferencing to talk with other schools around the world and to access the best teaching and learning resources available anywhere in the world.”

Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce says the opportunity for rural students to experience the same learning experience as urban students will dramatically reduce the digital divide.

'The government's fibre initiatives will not just impact school students,” says Steven.

'Training and employment opportunities will be enhanced, businesses will find it easier to do business and capitalise on productivity gains, and schools will be able to offer the latest education programmes.

'The rural broadband initiative is all about providing digital opportunities to more than quarter of a million people in rural communities.”