NZ Prepaid eSIM vs Local SIM: An Honest Technical Assessment (2026)

NZ offers four major prepaid mobile options across three physical networks. The choice between eSIM and physical SIM, and between carriers, determines both your per-GB cost and your rural coverage in New Zealand. This is a data-driven comparison of every major option available to travellers as of April 2026. TL;DR Four carriers, three physical networks: Skinny Mobile runs on Spark's infrastructure Skinny Mobile delivers the lowest cost at ~NZ$1.35/GB on Spark's full 4G LTE network eSIM provision