Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher will seek funding for the district's rural communities as part of the Government's Rural Broadband Initiative.
The initiative will be extended by a further $100 million through the telecommunications development levy.
The Government will seek input from communities, councils and service providers, and the fund will be allocated through an open tender process.
Mr Kircher said he planned to ask for funding for the district to improve digital connectivity.
''A starting point would be to look at our district GDP, as well as the potential for increased farming productivity, and make sure we get our share,'' he said.
He met Otago Digital Office representatives on Tuesday to discuss a joint approach.
Oamaru became the first town in New Zealand to have its fibre network completed under Chorus' ultra-fast broadband programme but Mr Kircher said other Waitaki communities had very limited services, speeds and even access to broadband.
''Places like Weston have a very limited capacity to add people on,'' he said.
''We want to see a much better service.''
It was hugely important for the district's rural communities for their connectivity now and into the future, he said.
''We certainly have a lot of businesses, particularly farms, that can't get the access to internet,'' he said.
''We've got to make sure they have access to services that let them get on and do their business.''
While outside of the Waitaki District Council's ''usual business'', the funding bid was an opportunity it could not let pass, Mr Kircher said.
''It's come out of the blue, but we're working our way through it,'' he said.
''We've got to really make that case ... we need to keep pushing for the best internet service for people across the district.''
Mr Kircher said he would also seek funding as part of the blackspot fund to improve mobile coverage along main highways and in popular tourist destinations.
In the Waitaki district, the Lindis Pass and Katiki straight were areas that needed attention, he said.
The latest figures show 564 Oamaru households, businesses, schools and health facilities now have an ultra-fast broadband service, six months after the fibre network was completed.
